Malaria vaccine: immunization of mice with a synthetic T cell helper epitope alone leads to protective immunity

The immunogenicity of the non-repetitive sequences of the Plasmodium berghei circumsporozoite (CS) protein was studied using synthetic peptides. Two CS sequences (residues 20-39 and 57-70) exhibiting T cell helper activity were identified. Immunization of BALB/c mice with a branched peptide containing either the 20-39 or the 57-70 sequence and two repeats (B epitope) in a linear sequence induced high titers of anti-repeat and anti-sporozoite antibodies. Mice immunized with the T-B construct (high antibody titers) or with the 57-70 epitope alone (no serum anti-repeat or anti-peptide antibodies) were protected to a similar degree after challenge with infective sporozoites. No protection was obtained in mice immunized with the 20-39 epitope. These results indicate that BALB/c mice can be protected either by effector T cells or by high levels of anti-repeat antibodies. Thus, in the same strain, a double mechanism of protection can be obtained by a synthetic peptide vaccine.