D-peptides as immunogens and diagnostic reagents.
There has been a regain of interest in the immunological applications of peptides assembled partly or totally from D-amino acids. Such peptides are much more stable to proteolysis than natural L-peptides and they have considerable potential as synthetic vaccines and as immunomodulators in T-cell responses. Retro-inverso, also called retro-all-D or retroenantio, peptide analogues that closely mimic the structure of protein antigens are obtained by assembling amino acid residues in the reverse order from that in the parent peptides and replacing L- by D-amino acids. Retro-all-D peptides corresponding to an immunodominant epitope of foot-and-mouth disease virus have been shown to elicit high levels of neutralizing antibodies in experimental animals. Certain retro-all-D peptide analogues of T-cell epitopes are able to bind to MHC class II molecules and may either lead to T-cell activation or inhibit deleterious T-cell responses.
Van Regenmortel
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UPR 9021, IBMC, CNRS, Strasbourg, France.
Muller
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D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes; D006801:Humans; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000276:immunology; D018716:Molecular Mimicry; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology
D000596:Amino Acids; D000939:Epitopes; D010455:Peptides; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic