title: Hypervariable epitope constructs as a means of accounting for epitope variability.
abstract: Epitope variability is one of the greatest obstacles to development of synthetic peptide vaccines. Based on a recently described hypervariable epitope (aa 414-434) on the envelope glycoprotein (gp130) to simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVmac142), we have developed a novel approach to account for epitope variability. We have prepared, in a single synthesis, a cocktail of peptides, designated a hypervariable epitope construct (HEC), which collectively represent all the in vivo variability seen in an epitope. The HEC represents permutations of amino acid substitutions found in the epitope and has been able to induce antibodies with enhanced binding to native SIV and broad immunoreactivity to related epitope analogues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malley
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benjamini
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Torres
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000276:immunology; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D015686:Gene Products, env; D010455:Peptides; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014765:Viral Vaccines; C078684:simian immunodeficiency virus gp130