A Transmissible Gastroenteritis Coronavirus Nucleoprotein Epitope Elicits T Helper Cells That Collaborate in the in Vitro Antibody Synthesis to the Three Major Structural Viral Proteins

• Published in: Virology (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 212; no. 2; pp. 746 - 751
• Main Authors: Antón, Inés M., Suñé, Carlos, Meloen, Rob H., Borrás-Cuesta, Francisco, Enjuanes, Luis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.1995; Academic Press
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibodies, Viral - biosynthesis; Antibody Formation; Antibody Specificity; ANTICORPS; ANTICUERPOS; ANTIGENE; ANTIGENOS; CERDO; ENANO; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte - immunology; EXPERIMENTACION IN VITRO; EXPERIMENTATION IN VITRO; Haplotypes; LINFOCITOS; LYMPHOCYTE; Lymphocyte Activation; Major Histocompatibility Complex; Molecular Sequence Data; NAIN; Neutralization Tests; NUCLEOPROTEINAS; NUCLEOPROTEINE; Peptides - chemical synthesis; Peptides - immunology; PODER PATOGENO; PORCIN; POUVOIR PATHOGENE; PROTEINAS; PROTEINE; REACCION ANTIGENO-ANTICUERPO; REACTION ANTIGENE ANTICORPS; Short Communication; Swine; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer - immunology; transmissible gastroenteritis virus; Transmissible gastroenteritis virus - immunology; Viral Structural Proteins - chemistry; Viral Structural Proteins - immunology; VIRUS GASTROENTERITE DU PORC; VIRUS GASTROENTERITIS TRANSMISIBLE
• ISSN: 0042-6822; 1096-0341
• DOI: 10.1006/viro.1995.1535

Four strong T cell epitopes have been identified studying the blastogenic response of lymphocytes from haplotype-defined transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) immune miniswine to sixty-one 15-mer synthetic peptides. Three of these epitopes are located on the nucleoprotein (N48 amino acids 46 to 60; N272, amino acids 272 to 286; and N321 amino acid 321 to 335), and one on the membrane protein (M196, amino acids 196 to 210). N321, peptide induced the highest T cell response and was recognized by immune miniswine lymphocytes with haplotypes dd, aa , and cc. T lymphocytes from peptide N321-immune miniswine reconstituted the in vitro synthesis of TGEV-specific antibodies by complementing CD4- TGEV-immune cells. This response was directed at least against the three major structural proteins. The synthesized antibodies specific for S protein preferentially recognized discontinous epitopes and neutralized TGEV infectivity. These results show that peptide N321 defines a functional T helper epitope eliciting T cells capable of collaborating with B cells specific for different proteins of TGEV.