title: Hepatitis B virus vaccine: identification of HBsAg/a and HBsAg/d but not HBsAg/y subtype antigenic determinants on a synthetic immunogenic peptide.
abstract: On the basis of theoretical considerations, a peptide (H peptide) was synthesized by Hopp and Woods [Hopp, T. P. & Woods, K. R. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78, 3824---3828]. This peptide contains a sequence of six amino acids postulated to represent the major epitope, or antibody-combining site, of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg). We have used passive hemagglutination inhibition with monospecific antibodies against the a, d, and y subdeterminants of this antigen and against human serum albumin to investigate the antigenic specificities on this peptide, and we have found it to contain the HBsAg/a and HBsAg/d but not HBsAg/y or human serum albumin subdeterminants. When the peptide was conjugated onto human erythrocytes and injected into mice, it induced the formation of anti-HBsAg with and without the use of Freund's adjuvant. If anti-HBsAg/a confers immunity to infection with hepatitis B virus, as is generally thought, these findings may permit the development of a synthetic vaccine lacking all unnecessary antigenic determinants.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D007114:Immunization; D051379:Mice; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D010455:Peptides; D014765:Viral Vaccines