Epitope mapping and evaluation of specificity of T-helper sites in four major antigenic peptides of chicken riboflavin carrier protein in outbred rats

Identification of an IgE reactive peptide in hen egg riboflavin binding protein subjected to simulated gastrointestinal digestion

Riboflavin binding protein (RfBP) is a minor protein in hen egg; its potential involvement in egg allergy has seldom been studied. The aim of this work was to investigate the IgE binding capacity of RfBP before and after simulated gastrointestinal digestion. It was shown that digestion of RfBP mainly occurred during the gastric phase. The protein fragments resulting from the subsequent duodenal phase remained linked through disulfide bonds. Both the intact protein and its digests were subjected to inhibition ELISA with sera obtained from patients allergic to egg. The results revealed significant IgE binding to intact RfBP, whereas the digests showed reduced but substantial IgE binding levels, with serum-to-serum variability. The RfBP digests were then subjected to immunoblot with allergic patients' sera, and the IgE-reactive peptides were further analyzed by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry for sequence determination. The RfBP sequence 41-84 was identified as a novel IgE binding peptide in patients allergic to egg.

Development of mouse-specific contraceptive vaccines: infertility in mice immunized with peptide and polyepitope antigens

Mouse-specific immunocontraceptive peptides have been identified in mouse proteins with key roles in reproduction from sequence comparisons to other species and tested for efficacy as immunocontraceptive antigens. Peptides were derived from granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF), the placental 27 kDa heat-shock protein (HSP), leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR), oviduct glycoprotein (OGP), proliferin (PLF), prolactin (PRL), sperm protein SP56 and mouse zona pellucida subunits 1 and 3 (ZP1, ZP3). Fertility of female BALB/c mice was reduced after immunization with several peptides either conjugated to a carrier protein or in the form of recombinant polyepitopes. The most effective conjugated peptides (SP56, GMCSF and PRL) induced peptide-specific serum antibodies and reduced fertility by 50%. Fertility of mice was also reduced after immunization with polyepitope antigens containing up to five different peptides fused to maltose-binding protein, but antibodies were not produced against all the encoded peptides. The most effective polyepitope antigen (containing PLF, SP56, ZP1 and ZP3 peptides) reduced fertility by 50% but induced only SP56 and ZP1 antibodies. We demonstrate that lack of antibody response to a given peptide epitope (ZP3) can be overcome if repeated copies are used in the polyepitope antigen construct, but the effect varies between mouse strains. We conclude that infertility induced in mice with a range of peptide-based vaccines is dependent on antigen formulation and genetic factors but does not necessarily correlate with peptide-specific antibody levels. In light of these results, strategies to improve the efficacy of peptide-based antifertility vaccines are discussed.