title: Induction of immune responses to functional determinants of a cell surface streptococcal antigen.
abstract: Antibodies directed against the cell surface adhesin, termed streptococcal antigen I/II of Streptococcus mutans can protect against dental caries. Streptococcal antigen I/II (SA I/II) interacts with salivary glycoproteins and promotes adhesion to the tooth surface. Topical application of monoclonal antibodies which recognize a domain within residues 816-1213 (fragment 3) prevents colonization by S. mutans in primates. In this study the immunogenicity and antigenicity of fragment 3 was investigated in five strains of mice. Fragment 3 induced an immune response following immunization with whole cells of S. mutans in all strains of mice. Immunization with recombinant fragment 3 also induced T-cell proliferative and antibody responses both to fragment 3 and to the SA I/II. Antibody responses to the previously defined adhesion determinants (residues 1005-1044) were weak or undetectable. Immunization of three representative strains of mice with a recombinant polypeptide (residues 975-1044) comprising this adhesion epitope and an adjacent T-cell epitope (residues 975-1004) elicited both T- and B-cell responses to the polypeptide and to native SA I/II. The B-cell epitopes overlapped with the adhesion determinant. These findings provide a means of directing immune responses to functional determinants of SA I/II.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's & St Thomas's, London, UK.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Todryk
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Munro
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lehner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D000939:Epitopes; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic