A synthetic peptide coded for by the pre-S2 region of hepatitis B virus for adding immunogenicity to small spherical particles made of the product of the S gene.
Small spherical particles produced in the non-permissive phase of hepatitis B virus infection, when the viral genome is integrated into the chromosome of hosts, are rich in the product of the S gene, but poor in the product of the pre-S2 region. For the purpose of adding immunogenicity to spherical particles deficient in the pre-S2 region product, they were conjugated with a synthetic peptide of 19 amino acid residues. The peptide reproduced a hydrophilic area of the pre-S2 region product encoded by viral genomes of subtypes adr, ayw and ayr. The spherical particles supplemented with the pre-S2 peptide raised antibody to the pre-S2 region product in mice, in addition to antibody to the product of the S gene. Antibody to pre-S2 region product, prepared from sera of immunized mice by absorption with the S gene product, bound to spherical particles bearing pre-S2 region product, irrespective of adr, adw, ayw or ayr subtype, and agglutinated hepatitis B virions in immune electron microscopy. Based on the results obtained, the synthetic peptide may prove useful in adding protective efficacy to small spherical particles poor in pre-S2 region product.
Machida
A
A
Section of Immunology, the Kitasato Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Ohnuma
H
H
Takai
E
E
Tanaka
T
T
Itoh
Y
Y
Tsuda
F
F
Akahane
Y
Y
Usuda
S
S
Nakamura
T
T
Miyakawa
Y
Y
D000042:Absorption; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines