title: Hierarchic T-cell help to non-linked B-cell epitopes.
abstract: The induction of antibodies against peptides requires the presence of a T helper cell epitope. In the absence of an added T-cell epitope only 10% of the mice, or less depending on the strain, gave an antibody response to a series of peptides of the measles virus (MV) fusion (F) protein. After coimmunization with a non-covalently coupled T-cell epitope more than 60% of the peptides became immunogenic. Considerable differences became apparent when BALB/c mice were immunized with peptides in the presence of different T-cell epitopes. An immunodominant T-cell epitope of the MV-F protein was more efficient than a subdominant or a cryptic T-cell epitope in providing help to a non-linked B-cell epitope. There is both a ranking order of the amount of help which B-cell epitopes require and a ranking order for the help T-cell epitopes are able to provide. The capability of a T-cell epitope to provide help to a B-cell epitope correlated with its own immunogenicity, i.e. the intensity of the antibody response to the peptide representing the T-cell epitope. The data suggest that for each MHC class II allele there is an optimal T-cell epitope which can provide help to a maximal number of B-cell epitopes and that such a peptide can be identified by its ability to induce antibodies against itself. By using this strategy, the authors were able to induce antibodies which cross-reacted with the MV.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorie National de Santé, Luxembourg, Germany.
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Brons
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blaich
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wiesmüller
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000276:immunology; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D008459:Measles virus / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins