title: Protection against morbillivirus-induced encephalitis by immunization with a rationally designed synthetic peptide vaccine containing B- and T-cell epitopes from the fusion protein of measles virus.
abstract: Synthetic peptides representing T- and B-cell epitopes from the fusion (F) protein of measles virus (MV) were tested for their ability to induce a protective immune response against intracerebral challenge with neuroadapted strains of MV and canine distemper virus (CDV) in mice. Of the panel of peptides tested, only a chimeric peptide consisting of two copies of a promiscuous T-cell epitope (representing residues 288 to 302 of MV F protein) synthesized at the amino terminus of a B-cell epitope (representing residues 404 to 414 of MV F protein) was able to induce a protective response against challenge with MV and CDV in inbred mice. The protective response induced by this peptide (TTB) was associated with a significant reduction in mortality, histological absence of acute encephalitis, and greatly reduced titers of virus in the brains of TTB-immune mice following challenge compared with the results for nonimmunized controls. A chimeric peptide comprising one copy of the T-cell epitope and one copy of the B-cell epitope (TB) did not induce a protective response. A comparison of the antibody responses induced by the two chimeras suggested that differences in protective efficacy following immunization may be a result of the higher affinity of the antibody induced by the TTB peptide than that of the antibody induced by the TB peptide. In addition, differences in the immunoglobulin G subclass of the antipeptide antibody responses were observed, and these may play a role in the differences in protection observed. These results indicate that appropriately designed synthetic peptides have potential as vaccines for the induction of cross-reactive protection against morbilliviruses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: O E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Obeid
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Partidos
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Steward
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D004217:Distemper Virus, Canine / Q000276:immunology*; D015195:Drug Design; D018792:Encephalitis, Viral / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000939:Epitopes; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008459:Measles virus / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D010455:Peptides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines