Hepatitis B virus vaccine: identification of HBsAg/a and HBsAg/d but not HBsAg/y subtype antigenic determinants on a synthetic immunogenic peptide.

Abstract

On the basis of theoretical considerations, a peptide (H peptide) was synthesized by Hopp and Woods which contains a sequence of 6 amino acids postulated to represent the major epitope, or antibody-combining site, of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg). Passive hamgglutination inhibition with monospecific antibodies against the a, d, and y subdeterminants of this antigen and against human serum albumin was used to investigate the antigenic specificities on this peptide; it contained the HBsAg/a and HBsAg/d but not HBsAg/y or human serum albumin subdeterminants. When the peptide was conjugated onto human erythrocytes and injected into mice, it induced the formation of anti-HBsAg with and without the use of Freund''s adjuvant. If anti-HBsAg/a confers immunity to infection with hepatitis B virus these findings may permit the development of a synthetic vaccine lacking all unnecessary antigenic determinants.