AUTHOR=Cañas-Arranz Rodrigo , de León Patricia , Forner Mar , Defaus Sira , Bustos María J. , Torres Elisa , Andreu David , Blanco Esther , Sobrino Francisco 

TITLE=Immunogenicity of a Dendrimer B2T Peptide Harboring a T-Cell Epitope From FMDV Non-structural Protein 3D

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00498

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2020.00498

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>Synthetic dendrimer peptides are a promising strategy to develop new FMD vaccines. A dendrimer peptide, termed B<sub>2</sub>T-3A, which harbors two copies of the major FMDV antigenic B-cell site [VP1 (140–158)], covalently linked to a heterotypic T-cell from the non-structural protein 3A [3A (21–35)], has been shown to protect pigs against viral challenge. Interestingly, the modular design of this dendrimer peptide allows modifications aimed at improving its immunogenicity, such as the replacement of the T-cell epitope moiety. Here, we report that a dendrimer peptide, B<sub>2</sub>T-3D, harboring a T-cell epitope from FMDV 3D protein [3D (56–70)], when inoculated in pigs, elicited consistent levels of neutralizing antibodies and high frequencies of IFN-γ-producing cells upon <italic>in vitro</italic> recall with the homologous dendrimers, both responses being similar to those evoked by B<sub>2</sub>T-3A. Lymphocytes from B<sub>2</sub>T-3A-immunized pigs were <italic>in vitro-</italic>stimulated by T-3A peptide and to a lesser extent by B-peptide, while those from B<sub>2</sub>T-3D- immunized animals preferentially recognized the T-3D peptide, suggesting that this epitope is a potent inducer of IFN-γ producing-cells. These results extend the repertoire of T-cell epitopes efficiently recognized by swine lymphocytes and open the possibility of using T-3D to enhance the immunogenicity and the protection conferred by B<sub>2</sub>T-dendrimers.</p>