title: The potential of retro-inverso peptides as synthetic vaccines.
abstract: Retro-inverso (RI) peptides, also called all-D-retro peptides, have been shown to mimic the antigenic and immunogenic properties of L-peptides successfully. RI peptides corresponding to the loop 141-159 of the VP1 protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) have been synthesized and used to immunize rabbits and guinea pigs. These peptides induced longer-lasting and higher antibody titres in immunized animals than did the corresponding L-peptides and the antibodies cross-reacted strongly with virus particles and with L-peptides. Antisera raised to RI peptides had in vitro virus neutralization titres equal to or better than those obtained after immunization with classical FMDV antigens and L-peptides. In view of their increased stability, RI peptides may overcome some of the shortcomings of synthetic viral vaccines based on L-peptides.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS UPR, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Van Regenmortel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guichard
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Benkirane
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Briand
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology*; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005536:Foot-and-Mouth Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007536:Isomerism; D018716:Molecular Mimicry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D010455:Peptides; C442501:VP1 protein, Foot-and-mouth disease virus; C442540:VP1 protein, Poliovirus; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014765:Viral Vaccines