title: Virus-like particles as carriers for T-cell epitopes: limited inhibition of T-cell priming by carrier-specific antibodies.
abstract: Virus-like particles (VLPs) are able to induce cytotoxic T-cell responses in the absence of infection or replication. This makes VLPs promising candidates for the development of recombinant vaccines. However, VLPs are also potent inducers of B-cell responses, and it is generally assumed that such VLP-specific antibodies interfere with the induction of protective immune responses, a phenomenon summarized as carrier suppression. In this study, we investigated the impact of preexisting VLP-specific antibodies on the induction of specific cytotoxic T-cell and Th-cell responses in mice. The data show that VLP-specific antibodies did not measurably reduce antigen presentation in vitro or in vivo. Nevertheless, T-cell priming was slightly reduced by antigen-specific antibodies; however, the overall reduction was limited and vaccination with VLPs in the presence of VLP-specific antibodies still resulted in protective T-cell responses. Thus, carrier suppression is unlikely to be a limiting factor for VLP-based T-cell vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Cytos Biotechnology AG, Wagistrasse 25, 8952 Schlieren-Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruedl
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jegerlehner
authors.forename: Tazio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Storni
authors.forename: Vania
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Manolova
authors.forename: Martin F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bachmann
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000502:physiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination; D014771:Virion / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell