INDUCTION OF SYSTEMIC IMMUNE-RESPONSES TO MEASLES-VIRUS SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES ADMINISTERED INTRANASALLY

A systemic antibody response was induced when a chimeric peptide containing two copies of a promiscuous T-cell epitope and one copy of a B-cell epitope (TTB) from the fusion protein of measles virus (MV) was administered to mice intranasally without adjuvant. A higher antibody titre was produced when the peptide was administered intranasally with cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) as an adjuvant and these antibodies crossreacted with the MV. Furthermore, splenocytes from intranasally immunized mice proliferated in vitro in the presence of the TTB peptide. The immune response following intranasal immunization with the peptide was influenced by the MHC haplotype of the strain of mice used. Thus CBA and BALB/c mice were high responders whereas C57BL/6 mice were low responders. Although peptide administered intranasally with CTB to CBA mice induced an immune response, no significant protection was observed against intra-cranial challenge with canine distemper virus which antigenically related to MV.