Peptide vaccine candidates against classical swine fever virus: T cell and neutralizing antibody responses of dendrimers displaying E2 and NS2–3 epitopes

Three peptide-based systems integrating B and T antigenic sites of CSFV and displaying the B epitopes in fourfold presentation have been designed and produced, and shown to bring about significant enhancements in immunogenicity over the peptides in monomeric form. Of the different strategies tested for producing the dendrimeric constructs, stepwise SPPS using 3,6-dioxaoctanoic acid as flexible, PEG-like spacer units at the branching points is clearly advantageous, in particular over ligation in solution. The constructs have been used for immunization of domestic pigs, in order to evaluate the protective response induced by each peptide constructs, and to characterize the B- and T-cell response against CSFV in the natural host.