title: Adjuvant effect of a peptidoglycan attached covalently to a synthetic antigen provoking anti-phage antibodies.
abstract: The synthetic antigen denoted P2-A--L, comprising the fragment P2 of the coat protein of MS-2 coliphage attached to multichain poly-DL-alanine, served for the immunization of guinea-pigs. Immunization was carried out either in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or in Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA) in the presence or absence of a small molecular weight peptidoglycan prepared from Bacillus megaterium, which was checked for its adjuvant effect. The various antisera were assessed by their capacity to neutralize MS-2 bacteriophage viability. When injected in PBS or FIA, P2-A--L did not elicit any measurable anti-phage activity. Addition of the peptidoglycan by simple mixing did not bring about a significant increase in antibody production. However, when the peptidoglycan was chemically linked to the P2-A--L conjugate, it had a marked adjuvant effect when the material was administered in FIA, almost identical to the extent of the effect of Freund's complete adjuvant.
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001410:Bacillus megaterium; D003090:Coliphages / Q000276:immunology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000941:Antigens; D010457:Peptidoglycan