title: Nef and Gag synthetic peptide priming of antibody responses to HIV type 1 antigens in mice and primates.
abstract: T epitope mapping in human immunodeficiency virus proteins provides a useful tool for AIDS vaccine design. We have previously shown that four peptides selected from the Gag polyprotein of HIV-1 were able to prime mice for in vitro lymphoproliferative responses. These responses were shown to be MHC restricted, and a pool of these peptides was able to prime mice for a subsequent humoral response to HIV-1 Gag proteins. Here we show that two of these Gag peptides are able to prime the anti-HIV-1 IgG response to heat-inactivated HIV-1 in B10Sc.Cr mice. Furthermore, we extended this study in the nonhuman primate model, and show efficient priming of the IgG response to heat-inactivated HIV-1 using the pool of four Gag peptides in baboons. Further mapping of "nonself" peptides is extended to the HIV-1 Nef protein. Three potential Nef T epitopes located at positions 137-145, 98-107, and 81-95 are also shown to prime the IgG response to HIV-1 in the mouse model, although T cell proliferation to recall peptides in vitro was not detectable. Although they have not yet been defined as major helper T epitopes in humans, using classic in vitro stimulation assays, the fact that most of them are able to prime IgG responses in animals without detectable in vitro proliferative responses does not rule out their functional helper capacity in humans.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches du Service de Santé des Armées, Laboratoire de Neuropathologie Expérimentale et Neurovirologie, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vaslin
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Claverie
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Benveniste
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Barre-Sinoussi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dormont
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology*; D015693:Gene Products, nef / Q000276:immunology*; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010215:Papio / Q000276:immunology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015693:Gene Products, nef; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus