The immunogenicity of various peptide antigens inducing cross-reacting antibodies to a cell surface protein antigen of Streptococcus mutans

Oral Microbiol Immunol. 1999 Aug;14(4):213-9. doi: 10.1034/j.1399-302x.1999.140403.x.

Abstract

A cell surface protein antigen (PAc) of Streptococcus mutans may be involved in the binding of bacteria to the tooth surface, and has long been focused upon as a candidate for a preventive vaccine of dental caries. Previously the peptide PAc (365-377) was shown to raise an antibody in B10.D2 mice which inhibited the binding of salivary components to the PAc molecule. Using this peptide as a unit peptide, two constructs based on multiple antigenic peptides, and several types of tandem repeats of two or three copies were synthesized to estimate the immunogenicity of these peptides. Increase in the immunogenicity was observed for all constructs with the use of an adjuvant compared to the unit peptide alone. However, the tandem repeat constructs generally induced antibody production in the absence of adjuvant, while the multiple antigenic peptide constructs did not induce antibody production under the same condition. Although such a phenomenon may be restricted to this particular peptide sequence, these results may influence the strategy for the design of peptide vaccines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / biosynthesis
  • Antigens, Bacterial / chemistry
  • Antigens, Bacterial / immunology*
  • Antigens, Surface / chemistry
  • Antigens, Surface / immunology
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / immunology*
  • Bacterial Vaccines / chemistry
  • Bacterial Vaccines / immunology
  • Cross Reactions
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Freund's Adjuvant
  • Membrane Glycoproteins*
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptide Fragments / chemical synthesis
  • Peptide Fragments / immunology
  • Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid
  • Streptococcus mutans / immunology*
  • Vaccines, Synthetic / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Antigens, Surface
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Bacterial Vaccines
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • Peptide Fragments
  • S-layer proteins
  • Vaccines, Synthetic
  • Freund's Adjuvant