Murine cross-reactive T-cell epitopes of Neisseria meningitidis outer membrane proteins

Abstract Five non-covalent vaccines of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) complexed to capsular polysaccharide were prepared from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B strains. Each vaccine contained distinct serotype (class 2 3 ) and subtype (class 1) OMPs. The cross-reactivity of the T-cell response to the meningococcal vaccine-associated proteins was examined in an in vitro T-cell proliferative assay, following antigenic priming of mice with one of these vaccines (MB6 : P1.6) or with its purified class 1 (subtype P1.6) and class 2 (serotype 6) proteins. Cross-reactive T-cell epitopes were found in all five vaccine preparations on both the class 1 and class 2 3 OMPs. Priming of mice with the subtype P1.6 N-terminal peptide led to a significant but small increase in T-cell proliferation with the MB6 : P1.6 vaccine.