Peptides as immunogens

Peptides as immunogens that trigger the formation of antibodies of effector cells (killer cells) in higher organisms could inaugurate a new generation of vaccines. 

Two general methods are described below which have been used successfully by several laboratories to generate MAbs to chemokine receptors. The first method describes the use of synthetic peptides as immunogen with the sequence derived from the amino terminal domain of the receptor. The second method describes the use of chemokine receptor transfectants as immunogen. High levels of surface receptor expression are essential to the success of this latter method. Protocols for making receptor transfectants may be found in Chapter 10. 

Protective antigens can be identified and used as proteins, polypeptides, and peptides as immunogens, usually with adjuvants. Usually these vaccines are not as good as those in which total antigenic spectrum is used. They have the advantages of being able to synthesize products on large scale by chemical methods (e.g., as peptides) and are noninfectious. 

Moroder, L., Bovermann, G., Mouricr, G., Gohring, W., Gemeiner, M., and Wiinsch, E. (1987) Studies on immunoassays of peptide factors. III. Gastrin/iso-1-cytochrome c as immunogen for raising anti-gas-trin antisera. Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler, 368, 839-848. 

Will the peptide, as an exogenous or at least exogenously administered protein, be immunogenic ... 

Bematowicz, M. S. and Matsueda, G. R. (1986) Preparation of peptide-protein immunogens using N-succinimidyl bromoacetate as a heterobifunctional cross-linking reagent. Anal. Biochem. 155, 95-102. 

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