title: Construction and characterization of a camelized, human, VH-based peptide vaccine against CD20 antigen.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to construct and characterize a camelized, human, heavy-chain variable (VH) fragment-based peptide vaccine against CD20 antigen.
  
  
  METHODS
  Camelized, human VH with improved solubility and stability was used as a vaccine scaffold. A CD20 B-cell epitope was introduced into the complementarity determining region 3 of the engineered VH and a measles virus-derived T-helper epitope was grafted into the complementarity determining region 3. The chimeric VH fragment was synthesized in bacteria and purified for immunization of mice. The titers and antigen-binding specificity of the antibody elicited by the chimeric peptide vaccine were assessed in vitro.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Notably, the CD20 epitope within the chimeric VH peptide elicited high-titered anti-CD20 antibody. Besides binding to GST-CD20 fusion protein, the antibody was cross-reactive with the native CD20 antigen on Raji cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, the chimeric VH peptide vaccine consisting of the CD20 epitope can induce the production of the CD20-specific antibody, likely having potential implications in preventing CD20 overexpression cancers.
authors: Air Force General Hospital, People's Liberation Army, 30 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100142, People's Republic of China. liu_jianbin@yeah.net
authors: Jianbin
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: Yanguo
authors: Y
authors: Tan
authors: Ranxing
authors: R
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D018951:Antigens, CD20 / Q000276:immunology*; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D002162:Camelus / Q000276:immunology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003429:Cross Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015202:Protein Engineering; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D018951:Antigens, CD20; D000939:Epitopes; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D010455:Peptides; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit