title: Immunization of cattle against modified peptides of gonadotropin releasing hormone conjugated to carriers: Effectiveness of Freund's and alternative adjuvants.
abstract: Two gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) peptides with a cystein substitution of the first (C1-GnRH) or tenth (C10-GnRH) amino acid were conjugated to ovalbumin and equine serum albumin, respectively, via the sulfhydryl group of the introduced cysteine. Animals were immunized three times at 3-wk intervals with both conjugates in either saline (n = 5), Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA; n = 5), Havlogen (n = 6), Ribi adjuvant system (RAS; n = 5), dimethyl dioctadecyl ammonium bromide (DDA; n = 4), Alhydrogel (n = 5) or Regressin (n = 5). Animals immunized with conjugates in saline or RAS did not produce anti-GnRH titers. The highest anti-GnRH titers were produced by animals treated with FCA. The Alhydrogel and DDA treatments stimulated the production of GnRH antibodies in all animals treated, but titers were lower than in animals immunized with FCA. When vaccines were formulated with Havlogen or Regressin, anti-GnRH titers were low or absent. Serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were depressed in FCA and in Alhydrogel treated animals. The antisera raised were predominantly directed against either the carboxy- or the amino-terminal end of the GnRH peptide, or directed equally against both, depending on the individual animal. Results suggest that no epitope of GnRH dominates the immune response in cattle and show that the best alternative to FCA is Alhydrogel.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 0W0.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goubau
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Silversides
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Laarveld
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Mapletoft
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Murphy