title: Peptide-induced antiviral protection by cytotoxic T cells.
abstract: A specific antiviral cytotoxic immune response in vivo could be induced by the subcutaneous injection of the T-cell epitope of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) nucleoprotein as an unmodified free synthetic peptide (Arg-Pro-Gln-Ala-Ser-Gly-Val-Tyr-Met-Gly-Asn-Leu-Thr-Ala-Gln) emulsified in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. This immunization rendered mice into a LCMV-specific protective state as shown by the inhibition of LCMV replication in spleens of such mice. The protection level of these mice correlated with the ability to respond to the peptide challenge by CD8+ virus-specific cytotoxic T cells. This is a direct demonstration that peptide vaccines can be antivirally protective in vivo, thus encouraging further search for appropriate mixtures of stable peptides that may be used as T-cell vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Zinkernagel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hengartner
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D008216:Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D009698:Nucleoproteins; D010455:Peptides; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014765:Viral Vaccines