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A Combinatorial Peptide Library Around Variation of the Human Immunode ficiency Virus (HIV‐1) V3 Domain Leads to Distinct T Helper Cell Responses
Author(s) -
Estaquier Jérôme,
Boutillon Christophe,
Georges Bertrand,
Ameisen Jean Claude,
Tartar André,
Auriault Claude
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of peptide science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1387
pISSN - 1075-2617
DOI - 10.1002/psc.54
Subject(s) - v3 loop , biology , peptide , peptide sequence , immune system , peptide library , t cell , antigen , antibody , epitope , major histocompatibility complex , population , t cell receptor , virology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , genetics , biochemistry , gene , medicine , environmental health
The hypervariable domain of the HIV gp120, the V3 loop domain, represents a target for neutralizing antibodies and for HIV vaccine strategies. In this study, we have investigated in murine species the potential cross‐reactivity of immune responses elicited by immunization either with individual V3 peptides, derived from distinct HIV sequences (BRU, RF, SF2, MN and ELI sequences), or with a V3 combinatorial peptide library. We observed that individual V3 peptides are immunogenic but elicit a specific B‐ and T‐cell immune response that is mainly restricted to the sequence of the immunizing peptide. In particular, T‐cell responses that depend on T‐cell receptor recognition of peptides bound to the molecules encoded by the major histocompatibility complex were significantly influenced by small differences in the peptide amino acid sequence. The combinatorial V3 peptide library, previously described as B‐ and T‐cell immunogens, induced a more broadly reactive immune response, specially when T‐cell cytokine secretion was used as a readout for restimulation of T‐cells with individual V3 peptides. These data suggest that amino acid variations in the sequence of an antigenic peptide could lead to the induction of different transducing signals in the primed T‐cell population and to the activation of T‐cells with distinct cytokine secretion properties. These observations may have implications in the understanding of antigenic variability and in the design of vaccine strategies.