title: Three T-cell determinants of Cry j 1 and Cry j 2, the major Japanese cedar pollen antigens, retain their immunogenicity and tolerogenicity in a linked peptide.
abstract: It has been demonstrated in detail that administration of a dominant T-cell determinant to animals induces activation or immunological tolerance of T cells. However, it has not been determined whether multiple T-cell determinants, when integrated into a single peptide, retain their potential to induce T-cell activation and tolerance. We prepared a synthetic peptide comprising three T-cell determinants of Cry j 1 and Cry j 2, the major Japanese cedar pollen antigens, and investigated the immunogenicity and tolerogenicity of each T-cell determinant in the linked peptide by means of lymph node cell proliferation assays using mice. Lymph node cells from mice immunized with each of the three T-cell determinants proliferated against the linked peptide in a dose-dependent manner, similar to that of the immunized peptide. Lymph node cells from mice immunized with the linked peptide proliferated against all of the three T-cell determinants. In addition, the degree of proliferation against the three T-cell determinants occurred according to their original immunogenicity, as observed in the native protein antigens. Oral administration of the linked peptide to mice before they were immunized with Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 inhibited lymph node cell proliferation against the three T-cell determinants, depending on the dose of the linked peptide administered. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that three T-cell determinants retain their original immunogenicity and tolerogenicity in a linked peptide comprising them.
authors.affiliation: Sankyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan, Hayashibara Biochemical Laboratories, Inc., Okayama, Japan. yositomi@shina.sankyo.co.jp
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshitomi
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirahara
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
authors.forename: Nobufusa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Serizawa
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Saburo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: Sakae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inouye
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shiraishi
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D052179:Antigens, Plant; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D032485:Cryptomeria / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D052179:Antigens, Plant; C065290:Cry j I protein, Cryptomeria japonica; C065291:Cry j II protein, Cryptomeria japonica; D000939:Epitopes; D010455:Peptides; D010940:Plant Proteins