title: Improved Immunogenicity Against a Her2/neu-Derived Peptide by Employment of a Pan HLA DR-Binding Epitope and CpG in a BALB/c Mice Model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An efficient strategy to improve the immunogenicity of peptide vaccines is the use of a synthetic peptide containing cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes with T-helper (Th) inducing-epitopes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was to determine the use of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (Her2/neu)- specific CTL epitopes plus the pan HLA DR-binding epitope (PADRE) and CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) to induce antitumor effects in vaccinated mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with different vaccines. Three mice per group were euthanized to assess immune responses and the others were transplanted with TUBO cells. Enzyme-linked Immuno Spot assay (ELISpot) and flow cytometry studies were followed by tumor size and survival rate measurements in a TUBO tumor mice model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that mice vaccinated with the P5 peptide plus PADRE plus CpG produced higher antigen-specific CTL responses than mice vaccinated with the P5 peptide alone. Also, tumors in those mice grew more slowly and the survival rates were greater than mice in the other groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that peptide vaccines containing epitopes that stimulate both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells are effective at inducing anti-tumor immunity.
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetic and Cell Culture Department, Immunology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Sahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tahaghoghi-Hajghorbani
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetic and Cell Culture Department, Immunology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Jalil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tavakkol-Afshari
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Center, Nanotechnology Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmoud Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Jaafari
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetic and Cell Culture Department, Immunology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Haniyeh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ghaffari-Nazari
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetic and Cell Culture Department, Immunology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Masoumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Medical School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Amir
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jalali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D018899:CpG Islands; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human
keywords: CpG oligodeoxynucleotides; Her2/neu; PADRE; Peptide vaccine; immunogenicity; mice