Synthetic polypeptide antigens

S. N. (1968) Studies on synthetic polypeptide antigens. XX. Genetic control of the antibody response in the rat to structurally different synthetic polypeptide antigens. J Immunol 101, 730-742. 

Gill TJ, Gould HJ, Kunz HW (1964 b) Studies on synthetic polypeptide antigens. XIII. The effects of systematic variation in composition and chemical modifications of synthetic polypeptides on the antibodysynthetic polypeptide antigen interaction. J Biol Chem 239 3083-3092... 

Gill TJ, Kunz HW, Papermaster DS (1967) Studies on synthetic polypeptide antigens. XVIII. The role of composition, charge and optical isomerism in the immunogenicity of synthetic polypeptides. J Biol Chem 242 3308-3318 Gleich GJ, Averbeck AK, Swedlund HA (1971) Measurement of IgE in normal and allergic serum by radioimmunoassay. J Lab Clin Med 77 690-698... 

Sela M (1969) Antigenicity some molecular aspects. Science 166 1365-1374 Sela M, Amon R (1960) Studies on the chemical basis of the antigenicity of proteins. 1. Antigenicity of polypeptidyl gelatins. Biochem J 75 91-102 Sela M, Fuchs S (1963) A synthetic polypeptide antigen devoid of charge. Biochim Biophys Acta 74 796-798... 

Two inbred guinea pig strains, 2 and 13 (developed by Sewall Wright from a small closed colony), as well as random-bred lines, have been used to study the genetic control of specific immune responsiveness. The synthetic polypeptide antigens used in those studies are described in Table 4.1. 

The estimates for precursor cells specific for red cell determinants were in the range of 0.2-3-3 X10 , for synthetic polypeptide antigens of limited heterogeneity O.3-3 X 10 , and for lipopolysaccharide 1 X10. These estimates are not corrected for the effective homing efficiency. For similar reasons to those mentioned in the section on the splenic foci technique, the above frequencies may be considered to be a minimum estimate. 

With respect to the advantage of using a protein rather than a synthetic polypeptide as a carrier, we can refer to Jaffe et who showed that an active fragment of gastrin, its C-terminal tetrapeptide amide, was antigenic when covalently attached to serum protein carriers but not when linked to poly(L-lysine) or to poly(L-glutamic acid). Walker et al. in 1973 made similar comparisons with steroid conjugates and obtained the same result, i.e., bovine serum albumin was a better carrier than poly(L-lysine). (But also see below. 

Stahmann et al. (S12) studied the antigenic action of synthetic polypeptides with ImEl. The latter were composed of leucine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid, and lysine these polypeptides were coupled to a homologous protein, the serum albumin of the rabbit. From the pattern of the precipitate lines, it followed that antigenicity decreased in the following order leucine > phenylalanine > glutamic acid > lysine. 

Pinchuck P, Maurer PH. Antigenicity of polypeptides (poly alpha amino acids). XV. Studies on the ummmogenicity of synthetic polypeptides in mice. J Exp Med 1965 122 673-679. 

Ishizaka T, Ishizaka K, Conrad DH, Froese A (1978) A new concept of triggering mechanisms of IgE-mediated histamine release. J Allergy Clin Immunol 61 320-330 Janeway CA, Sela M (1967) Synthetic antigens composed exclusively of L- or D-amino acids. I. Effect of optical configuration on the immunogenicity of synthetic polypeptides in mice. Immunology 13 29-38... 

In the rat, AgB-associated differences in response to a number of synthetic polypeptide and foreign protein antigens have been described . In the chicken, the B-locus, or a linked genetic factor, has been found to control resistance to Marek s disease (an avian leukosis virus-induced lymphoma), and also to autoimmune thyroiditis . Differences in response to the synthetic polypeptide (T,G)-A-L have also been observed . An extremely interesting observation in the chicken indicates a requirement for shared products of the same MHC haplotype in order for effective T cell—B cell cooperation to take place, as in the mouse. 

All of these experiments emphasize the marked specificity of the process controlled by the products of H-linked Ir genes in the recognition of immunogenicity for both synthetic polypeptides and native antigens with known amino acid sequences. 

Bauminger, S., Lindner, H.R., Perel, E., and Amon, R., Antibodies to a phytooestrogen Antigenicity of genistein-coupled to a synthetic polypeptide, J. Endocrinol., 44, 567-578, 1969. 

Studies of the specificities of experimentally induced antipolynucleotide antibodies have yielded some information on the antigenic determinants which could exist in a molecule of nucleic acid. Like the antibodies to proteins or synthetic polypeptides, antibodies to polynucleotides can be directed against different antigenic determinants derived from sequential regions as well as conformational factors in the molecule. Since antibodies in which the specificity is associated with the heterocyclic bases are obtained by use of single-stranded polynucleotides or certain components of nucleic acids it is thus evident that the bases themselves can be included among the antigenic determinants of polynucleotides. 

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