The Journal of Immunology, Vol 146, Issue 6 1987-1995, Copyright © 1991 by American Association of Immunologists

ARTICLES

Antigenicity and immunogenicity of a multiple peptidic construction of the Schistosoma mansoni Sm-28 GST antigen in rat, mouse, and monkey. 1. Partial protection of Fischer rat after active immunization

I Wolowczuk, C Auriault, M Bossus, D Boulanger, H Gras-Masse, C Mazingue, RJ Pierce, D Grezel, GD Reid and A Tartar
Centre d'Immunologie et de Biologie Parasitaire, Unite mixte INSERM 167- CNRS 624, Lille, France.

Among the schistosome proteins characterized as vaccine candidates, an Ag of 28 kDa (Sm-28-GST) has received considerable attention. It was shown to be antigenic in humans and protective in mice, rats, hamsters, and baboons. Synthetic peptides derived from its sequence have been used to characterize the immune response to the molecule and one of these, comprising aminoacids 115-131 has been shown to incorporate both T and B cell recognition sites in a variety of experimental models. An octameric ("octopus") construction of the 115-131 peptide has been synthesized and its antigenicity and immunogenicity have been examined. The octopus construct is immunogenic in rats, mice and baboons in the presence of CFA (for rodents) and Bacille-Calmette-Guerin vaccine (for primates) as adjuvants. This clearly indicates that the construction allowed the conservation of the immune sites of the cognate protein. Moreover, anti-octopus sera from immunized Fischer rats were able to mediate platelet-, macrophage-, and eosinophil-dependent cytotoxicity toward schistosomula. Rats immunized with the 115-131 octopus were partially protected against a challenge infection with Schistosoma mansoni cercariae and this was paralleled by an increased level of IgG and more importantly, of IgE Sm-28-GST-specific antibodies.