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Peptide immunization in humans: a combined CD8+/CD4+ T cell-targeted vaccine restimulates the memory CD4 T cell response but fails to induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL).
Journal article

Peptide immunization in humans: a combined CD8+/CD4+ T cell-targeted vaccine restimulates the memory CD4 T cell response but fails to induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL).

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  • 1996-07-01
Published in:
  • Clinical and experimental immunology. - 1996
Animals
CD4 Antigens
Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
Female
HLA-A2 Antigen
Immunization
Lymphocyte Activation
Macaca fascicularis
Male
Peptide Fragments
SAIDS Vaccines
Simian Immunodeficiency Virus
T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic
Tetanus Toxin
English Immunization with short antigenic peptides represents a potential strategy to induce peptide-specific CTL in vivo. In this study, a synthetic vaccine consisting of an HIV-derived, HLA-A2.1-binding CTL epitope and a tetanus toxin-derived T helper epitope was evaluated for its capacity to induce peptide-specific CTL in humans. Thirteen volunteers were immunized and boosted twice with 100 micrograms of the CTL epitope plus 300 micrograms of the T helper peptide (p30). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were regularly analysed for cytotoxic and proliferative responses before, between and after the immunizations, and the serum was tested for anti-peptide antibodies. No unequivocal induction of HIV peptide-specific CTL in any of the volunteers was observed. However, a wide pattern of mild and transient side reactions was observed, ranging from local redness at the injection site to generalized exanthema, myalgias, arthralgias and fever. The side-effects were related to the T helper epitope, as they were similar to the side-effects experienced after tetanus immunization, correlated to the magnitude of the p30-specific in vitro proliferative response, and occurred only if p30 was co-injected. No antibodies against the HIV-derived peptides nor against p30 were detectable in the serum after repeated immunizations. The data suggest that the CTL peptide, at the concentration used in this study, failed to induce a cytotoxic immune response in vivo, although the T helper peptide seems to be capable of restimulating the specific memory T cells.
Language
  • English
Open access status
green
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/257880
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