The immune response to soluble D10 TCR: analysis of antibody and T cell responses

In order to evaluate the potential of TCR as vaccines for immunomodulation, the immunogenicity of soluble versions of D10 TCR has been investigated in mice. Soluble D10 TCR containing the extracellular domains were produced either as dual chain (dc) TCR lacking transmembrane and cytoplasmic regions or as a TCR-IgG1 chimeric protein. Soluble single chain (sc) D10 TCR contained only the Valpha and Vbeta segments joined by a peptide linker. Syngeneic D10 dcTCR or D10 TCR-IgG1 immunizations of AKR mice induced antibody responses to D10 clonotypic epitopes and to constant region epitopes that are not exposed on D10 cells. Only clonotypic antibodies were produced after D10 scTCR immunizations. Immunization of AKR mice with D10 dcTCR and D10 TCR-IgG1 primed I-Ak- and I-Ek-restricted CD4+ T cells recognizing constant region epitopes, but there was no detectable response to the variable region. Comparison of the in vitro proliferative responses of CD4+ T cells from D10 scTCR-primed H-2 congenic mice revealed that H-2u was a responder haplotype for the variable region. How the immunogenicity of particular regions of the TCR appears to be shaped by tolerance induction in vivo and the implications for immunotherapy with soluble TCR vaccinations are discussed.