Colinear synthesis of an antigen-specific B-cell epitope with a 'promiscuous' tetanus toxin T-cell epitope: a synthetic peptide immunocontraceptive.

This epitope contains both a B cell epitope (human LDH-C4, amino acid residues 9-20) and an overlapping region with T-cell epitope function (STVKEQLIEKLIE). Immunization of rabbits with the epitope resulted in moderate enhancement of the antibody response as compared to the B cell epitope alone (aa 9-20). Both rabbits had a strong and sustained response, whereas immunization with aa 9-20 resulted in slower responses, one strong and one weak, neither of which appeared sustained.