title: A Gag peptide encompassing B- and T-cell epitopes of the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus functions as modular carrier peptide.
abstract: Short synthetic peptides are important tools in biomedical research permitting to generate hapten specific polyclonal sera for analytical purposes or functional studies. In this paper we provide proof of principle that a peptide located in a highly conserved portion of the Gag protein of the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus and carrying an immunodominant T helper cell epitope functions as an efficient carrier peptide, mediating a strong antibody response to a peptidic hapten encompassing a well-characterized B cell epitope of Env. The carrier and hapten peptides were collinearly synthesized permutating their molecular arrangement. While the antibody response to the hapten was similar for both constructs, the antibody response to a B cell epitope overlapping the T helper cell epitope of the Gag carrier peptide was considerably different. This permits a modular use of the carrier peptide to generate antibody directed exclusively to the hapten peptide or a strong humoral response to both carrier- and hapten-peptide. Finally, we have mapped the epitopes involved in this polarized antibody response and discussed the potential immunological implications.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Virology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niederhäuser
authors.forename: Marie-Luise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Zahno
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nenci
authors.forename: Hans-Rudolf
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Vogt
authors.forename: Reto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zanoni
authors.forename: Ernst
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peterhans
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertoni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000915:Antibody Affinity; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D016088:Arthritis-Encephalitis Virus, Caprine / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology*; D006041:Goats / Q000276:immunology; D006241:Haptens / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D006241:Haptens