1. Induction of HIV-1 IIIb neutralizing antibodies in BALB/c mice by a chimaeric peptide consisting of a T-helper cell epitope of Semliki Forest virus and a B-cell epitope of HIV.
- Author
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Fernández IM, Golding H, Benaissa-Trouw BJ, de Vos NM, Harmsen M, Nottet HS, Golding B, Puijk WC, Meloen RH, Snippe H, and Kraaijeveld CA
- Subjects
- Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Antiviral Agents immunology, Cells, Cultured, HIV Core Protein p24 immunology, HIV Envelope Protein gp120 immunology, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Mice, Nude, Molecular Sequence Data, Recombinant Proteins, Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte immunology, HIV Antibodies biosynthesis, HIV-1 immunology, Recombinant Fusion Proteins immunology, Semliki forest virus immunology, T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer immunology
- Abstract
A colinearly synthesized peptide consisting of a H-2d restricted T-helper cell epitope of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and triple repeats of sequence GPGRAF, derived from the V3 domain of HIV-1 strains, was used to immunize BALB/c (H-2d) mice. Pepscan analysis of sera from peptide-immunized mice revealed that the chimaeric peptide GREKFTIRPHYGKEIGPGRAFGPGRAFGPGRAF contains three distinct antibody-reactive sequences GREKFTIR, PHYGKEI and GPGRAF. The chimaeric peptide evoked HIV-1 IIIb neutralizing antibodies in serum as measured in vitro by reduction of syncytia formation and reduction of p24 production as well. So, the T-helper cell epitope of SFV provided help to a small linear neutralization epitope of HIV-1 strains. Interestingly, the T-helper cell epitope alone might induce antibodies cross-reactive with HIV-1 IIIb specific peptide GPGRAFVTIGK which shows some homology (residues underlined) with the antibody-reactive sequence GREKTIR of SFV.
- Published
- 1998
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