Figure 5. M1-conjugation improves CD4⁺ responses to the universal T_H-epitope TTp2.

TTp2 was coupled to M1 under oxidising conditions and coupling confirmed by SDS-PAGE (A). PBMC were treated with M1:TTp2 or molar equivalents of M1, TTp2 or mixed M1 and TTp2 in an IFNγ Elispot Assay (BD Biosciences). Responses from 10 individuals are shown (B). Statistically significant differences in the response observed for M1-coupled peptide and controls are denoted by * (determined by t Test). Activation of purified CD4⁺ cells (C) in the presence of the indicated antigen was assessed by Elispot assay and compared to PBMC depleted of CD4 cells in (D). Data representative of one individual's response is given showing the mean nd standard deviation of duplicate samples. Statistical significance is indicated by * where p<0.05; statistical significance was determined by the student t-test.