title: Evaluation of the LTK63 adjuvant effect on cellular immune responses to measles virus nucleoprotein.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A lot of pathogens enter the body via the nasal route. The construction of non-toxic mutants of heat labile Escherichia coli enterotoxin (LT), which is a potent mucosal adjuvant, represents a major breakthrough for the development of mucosal vaccines.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was undertaken to critically evaluate the adjuvanticity of the mutant of LT (LTK63) on the cellular immune responses to intranasally co-administered recombinant measles virus nucleoprotein (rMVNP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Groups of CBA mice were immunized intranasally with rMVNP with or without LT or LTK63 as adjuvants. Another group was immunized subcutaneously with rMVNP in Freund's adjuvant. rMVNP and measles virus (MV) were used in a proliferation assay to test the LTK63 potentiating ability to induce T cell responses. Subsequently MVNP synthetic peptides spanning the length of the N protein were used with a proliferation assay to identify the T cell epitopes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Splenocytes from mice immunized intranasally with rMVNP plus LT or LTK63, showed strong dose dependent proliferative responses to both the MVNP and MV. However, proliferative responses from the latter group were significantly lower than the former group (P < 0.05). Splenocytes tested recognized peptides 20, 21, 28, 31, 39, 40 and 50, suggesting these to be among important epitopes. Subcutaneous route was not effective in priming for T cell responses to rMVNP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data further demonstrate the great potential of LTK63 as a safe mucosal vaccine adjuvant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Microbiology, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. erujoseph@yahoo.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Erume
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Partidos
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008459:Measles virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D014612:Vaccines; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D000939:Epitopes; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D014612:Vaccines; D014764:Viral Proteins; C058314:nucleoprotein, Measles virus; C027538:heat-labile enterotoxin, E coli