Immunization with a Synthetic Helicobacter pylori Peptide Induces Secretory IgA Antibodies and Protects Mice against Infection

Figure 4

MVTLINNE peptide immunization stimulates Con A-mediated thymic lymphocyte proliferation. Lymphoproliferation was determined in thymus cell suspensions from immunized, immunized and infected, infected, and untreated control animals. Thymuses were surgically excised and mechanically dissociated into single-cell suspensions. Lymphocyte suspensions were then incubated in the presence or absence of Con A (6.25 μg/ml) and/or MVTLINNE peptide (10 μg/ml), and lymphoproliferation was measured by the MTT reduction assay, as explained in the text. Data represent LPI means ± SEM of triplicates from three independent experiments, in each group. Untreated control optical density was 0.48 ± 0.004. , as compared with the untreated control.