Structural mimicry and enhanced immunogenicity of peptide epitopes displayed on filamentous bacteriophage. The V3 loop of HIV-1 gp120.

The principal neutralizing determinant of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is an intra-chain disulphide-bridged loop, designated V3, in the third hypervariable region of the surface glycoprotein gp120. Peptide sequences from the V3 loop of gp120 from HIV-1 strain MN (HIV-1MN) were engineered into the N-terminal region of the major coat protein of filamentous bacteriophage fd, leading to their display in multiple copies on the surface of the bacteriophage virion. Peptides displayed in this way were shown to be remarkably effective structural mimics of the natural epitope. They were recognised by human HIV antisera and evoked high titres of antibodies in mice, which cross-reacted with other strains of HIV and were capable of neutralizing the virus. In addition, antibody production could be stimulated by simultaneous inoculation with T-cell epitopes similarly displayed on filamentous bacteriophage. The bacteriophage display system offers a powerful means of studying the immunological recognition of proteins and is a promising vaccine model.