MUC1-derived glycopeptide libraries with improved MHC anchors are strong antigens and prime mouse T cells for proliferative responses to lysates of human breast cancer tissue.

Multi-component glycopeptide libraries and single glycopeptides were used for immunization of mice with the aim of inducing strong T helper cell responses to the repetitive sequence of MUC1 expressed by human tumor cells. The glycopeptides and glycopeptide libraries were modeled upon the native human MUC1 amino acid variable number of tandem repeats sequence by introduction of modifications in the MHC anchor positions to optimally fulfil the binding requirements of the A(d) MHC class II molecule in the BALB/c mouse. The immunogenicity of the MUC1 glycopeptides in BALB/c mice was determined by immunization in complete Freund's adjuvant and assaying lymph node T cells for a proliferative response to the glycopeptide used.

Characterization of T cell hybridomas raised against a glycopeptide containing the tumor-associated T antigen, (betaGal (1-3) alphaGalNAc-O/Ser).

T cell hybridomas were raised against the glycopeptide S(72) (Core-1) containing the tumor-associated disaccharide betaGal (1-3) alphaGalNAc (Core-1) O-linked to serine at position 72 in the mouse hemoglobin derived decapeptide Hb (67-76). All hybridomas recognized the glycopeptide S(72) (Core-1). Two of the selected hybridomas responded, however, much better to the S(72) (Tn) glycopeptide containing the monosaccharide alphaGalNAc O-linked to serine.

Low expression of insulin in the thymus of non-obese diabetic mice.

Insulin is a predominant autoantigen in IDDM in man and the NOD mouse. Failure of negative selection of diabetogenic T cells in thymus may be an important pre-disposing cause of the disease. To obtain insight into negative selection against such T-cell clones the thymic expression of insulin was studied in NOD and Balb/c mice by quantitative competitive RT-PCR.