title: Strategies for designing an immunocontraceptive vaccine based on zona pellucida synthetic peptides and recombinant antigen.
abstract: Immunization of female bonnet monkeys (Macaca radiata) with pig zona pellucida glycoprotein ZP3 using adjuvants permissible for human use leads to infertility. Fifty per cent of the animals conceived after antibody titres declined. Animals that failed to regain their fertility did not show any obvious ovarian changes. As part of the attempt to design an effective immunocontraceptive vaccine based on synthetic peptides, the epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against pig ZP3 alpha and ZP3 beta and possessing contraceptive efficacy in vitro were mapped. These studies identified an N-blocked decapeptide from the N-terminus corresponding to 23-32 amino acids of the precursor protein of pig ZP3 beta. As an alternative approach to using synthetic peptides, DNA encoding bonnet monkey ZP3 was cloned and sequenced. The deduced primary amino acid sequence revealed an overall similarity of 93.9% with human ZP3. Bonnet monkey ZP3 corresponding to an internal 975 nucleotide fragment excluding the N-terminus signal sequence and the C-terminus transmembrane domain has been expressed in Escherichia coli. These results will assist in the design of an immunocontraceptive vaccine based on either synthetic peptides or recombinant glycoproteins or proteins corresponding to ZP.
authors.affiliation: Gamete Antigen Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaul
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Afzalpurkar
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003269:Contraception, Immunologic; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008255:Macaca radiata; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013552:Swine; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000276:immunology*; D000072216:Zona Pellucida Glycoproteins
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000941:Antigens; D004527:Egg Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; C000606517:ZP3 protein, human; D000072216:Zona Pellucida Glycoproteins; C000606521:Zp3 protein, mouse