Conjugation Of Synthetic Peptides Research Articles

Abstract CT108: Phase I data from TENDU101, a first-in-human trial of a novel synthetic peptide conjugate cancer vaccine platform assessed in recurrent prostate cancer patients before salvage treatment

Abstract Synthetic peptides are explored in the clinic in cancer vaccine development for the purpose of inducing tumor-directed T cell responses. Their immunogenicity is dependent on the chosen adjuvant and target organ exposure (lymphoid organs). To improve peptide immunogenicity, we have developed a technology enabling cross-linking of endogenous, pre-existing circulating antibodies (Abs) by employing a three-dimensional chemistry design. Multiple identical tetanus toxin-derived B cell epitopes (MTTEs) are conjugated to synthetically made antigenic tumor peptides intended to induce T cell responses. Here we report the first clinical safety assessment of the vaccine platform in the trial TENDU101 (NCT04701021). The cancer vaccine candidate (TENDU) was designed to include longer synthetic peptides harboring prostate cancer derived epitopes (CD4 and CD8) from PAP and PSMA. The study was a 3+3 design and doses were 40, 400 and 960 microgram in patients with documented recurrent disease after radical prostatectomy. A tetanus toxoid (TTd) containing vaccine boost was followed by TENDU vaccination via subcutaneous injection in the abdomen (4 doses in total with a 2 week interval) in n=9 patients (gr 1, 2, 3.1). For group 3.2 (n=3) TENDU vaccination was administrated in the same arm as the TTd vaccination. Primary objective was safety and secondary objective assessment of immune responses and preliminary anti-tumor responses. A total of 52 adverse events (AEs) were reported, most mild and deemed unrelated to vaccination. Six treatment-related AEs were reported of which 50% were mild transient injection site reactions in a single patient (gr 3.1), and three events of increases in lipase levels in two patients (gr 2). No serious AEs was reported. T cell responses pre/post TENDU were assessed in a total of six patients of which five patients displayed increased response against vaccine-related CD8 and CD4 epitopes (ELISpot). The three patients with the greatest increase in T cell responses were found to display the highest anti-MTTE IgG responses. A trend towards decrease in circulating tumor cells from screening to the end of treatment visit was observed in the patients with the highest levels of anti-MTTE IgGs post TENDU vaccination. There were no trends for decrease in PSA and/or PAP at the end of treatment and follow-up measurements were affected by initiation of radiation and short-term androgen deprivation. The administration of TTd and TENDU to the same anatomical location although spaced in time appeared to negatively influence immune responses to TTd and TENDU. In conclusion, the novel synthetic peptide conjugate vaccine conjugate was found safe with no serious AEs reported and a positive correlation between anti-MTTE and T cell responses was noted in patients when TENDU was administrated in the abdomen. Citation Format: Wolfgang Lilleby, Anna Bergqvist, Aikaterini Nasi, Wenche Rasch, Sara Mangsbo. Phase I data from TENDU101, a first-in-human trial of a novel synthetic peptide conjugate cancer vaccine platform assessed in recurrent prostate cancer patients before salvage treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr CT108.

Enzymatic C-Terminal Protein Engineering with Amines.

Chemoenzymatic protein and peptide modification is a powerful means of generating defined, homogeneous conjugates for a range of applications. However, the use of transpeptidases is limited by the need to prepare synthetic peptide conjugates to be ligated, bulky recognition tags remaining in the product, and inefficient substrate turnover. Here, we report a peptide/protein labeling strategy that utilizes a promiscuous, engineered transpeptidase to irreversibly incorporate diverse, commercially available amines at a C-terminal asparagine. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we prepare a protein-drug conjugate, generate a genetically inaccessible C-to-C protein fusion, and site specifically label both termini of a single protein in sequential steps.

Potent Antibacterial Activity of Synthetic Peptides Designed from Salusin-β and HIV-1 Tat(49-57).

Salusin-β is an endogenous bioactive peptide that was identified in a human full-length enriched cDNA library using bioinformatics analyses. In our previous study, we found that synthetic salusin-β exhibits antibacterial activity against only Gram-positive microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus NBRC 12732. Salusin-β has an ability to depolarize the cytoplasmic membrane of this bacterium, and this phenomenon may be linked to the antibacterial activity of this peptide. A cell-penetrating peptide (CPP), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 transactivator of transcription (Tat) (49-57) is a short cationic peptide that can traverse cell membranes. In this report, synthetic peptide conjugates of salusin-β and HIV-1 Tat(49-57) showed potent antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus NBRC 12732 and Gram-negative Escherichia coli NBRC 12734. The synthetic peptides also depolarized the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli NBRC 12734 as well as Staphylococcus aureus NBRC 12732. These results suggested that HIV-1 Tat(49-57) is a protein transduction domain or CPP that changes the interaction mode between salusin-β and the cell membrane of Escherichia coli NBRC 12734. By binding to HIV-1 Tat(49-57), salusin-β showed a broad antibacterial spectrum regardless of whether the target was a Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacterium.

Dual Synthetic Peptide Conjugate Vaccine Simultaneously Triggers TLR2 and NOD2 and Activates Human Dendritic Cells.

Simultaneous triggering of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and NOD-like receptors (NLRs) has previously been shown to synergistically activate monocytes, dendritic cells, and macrophages. We applied these properties in a T-cell vaccine setting by conjugating the NOD2-ligand muramyl-dipeptide (MDP) and TLR2-ligand Pam3CSK4 to a synthetic peptide derived from a model antigen. Stimulation of human DCs with the MDP-peptide-Pam3CSK4 conjugate led to a strongly increased secretion of pro-inflammatory and Th1-type cytokines and chemokines. We further show that the conjugated ligands retain their ability to trigger their respective receptors, while even improving NOD2-triggering. Also, activation of murine DCs was enhanced by the dual triggering, ultimately leading to effective induction of vaccine-specific T cells expressing IFNγ, IL-2, and TNFα. Together, these data indicate that the dual MDP-SLP-Pam3CSK4 conjugate constitutes a chemically well-defined vaccine approach that holds promise for the use in the treatment of virus infections and cancer.

A novel calcium-accumulating peptide/gelatin in situ forming hydrogel for enhanced bone regeneration.

Bioactive agents, including proteins and peptides, can be loaded into hydrogels to improve bone regenerative capacity with their controlled release. However, the current loading method has focused on physical mixing, which has limited release control. Therefore, alternative conjugation of bioactive agents with hydrogels is highly recommended. Direct chemical conjugation of synthetic peptides containing a functional moiety with a hydrogel would be ideal. Here, we synthesized a bioactive calcium accumulating peptide (CAP) containing a collagen binding motif, which can induce osteogenic differentiation. A tyrosine residue in CAP was used to directly chemically conjugate the peptide with a gelatin-based enzymatically crosslinked hydroxyphenyl propionic acid hydrogel under H2 O2 /Horse radish peroxidase conditions. To test the acceleration of bone formation, human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) were loaded into a chemically conjugated CAP hydrogel. The CAP hydrogel induced bone mineralization around the PDLSCs and increased osteogenic marker expressions in vitro. It also recovered a bone layer in a calvarial defect 4 weeks postimplantation. In summary, an injectable CAP hydrogel scaffold system was developed as a potentially useful engineered microenvironment to enhance bone restoration, and it could be utilized as a vehicle for bioactive delivery of stem cells in tissue regenerative therapy. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 531-542, 2018.

Immunocontraception: Filamentous Bacteriophage as a Platform for Vaccine Development.

Background: Population control of domestic, wild, invasive, and captive animal species is a global issue of importance to public health, animal welfare and the economy. There is pressing need for effective, safe, and inexpensive contraceptive technologies to ad-dress this problem. Contraceptive vaccines, designed to stimulate the immune system in order to block critical reproductive events and suppress fertility, may provide a solution. Fil-amentous bacteriophages can be used as platforms for development of such vaccines.Objective: In this review authors highlight structural and immunogenic properties of fila-mentous phages, and discuss applications of phage-peptide vaccines for advancement of immunocontraception technology in animals.Results: Phages can be engineered to display fusion (non-phage) peptides as coat proteins. Such modifications can be accomplished via genetic manipulation of phage DNA, or by chemical conjugation of synthetic peptides to phage surface proteins. Phage fusions with antigenic determinants induce humoral as well as cell-mediated immune responses in ani-mals, making them attractive as vaccines. Additional advantages of the phage platform include environmental stability, low cost, and safety for immunized animals and those ad-ministering the vaccines.Conclusion: Filamentous phages are viable platforms for vaccine development that can be engineered with molecular and organismal specificity. Phage-based vaccines can be pro-duced in abundance at low cost, are environmentally stable, and are immunogenic when administered via multiple routes. These features are essential for a contraceptive vaccine to be operationally practical in animal applications. Adaptability of the phage platform also makes it attractive for design of human immunocontraceptive agents.

A method for the quantitation of homologous endopeptidases AlpA and AlpB from Lysobacter sp. XL1

Bacteriolytic homologous proteases AlpA and AlpB of Lysobacter sp. XL1 are the most active components of the antimicrobial lysoamidase complex. A sandwich enzyme immunoassay based on monoclonal antibodies was developed for the quantitation of these enzymes in complex protein mixtures. Non-cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies were produced using various methods of immunization with mature protein forms and synthetic peptide conjugates. A total of 15 monoclonal antibodies to AlpA, obtained after immunization with native protein, recognized the conformational epitopes, whereas six monoclonal antibodies to AlpB recognized the denatured form of the endopeptidase, and were obtained after immunization with peptide conjugates, whose amino acid sequences corresponded to AlpB mature form primary structure fragments different from AlpA. The developed method enables a highly sensitive assay of homologous proteases AlpA and AlpB with the detection ranges of 0.2–3.1 and 3–100ng/ml for the native form of AlpA and the denatured form of AlpB at a 5% measurement error, respectively. The technique can be used to assess the production of AlpA and AlpB, quantitate these proteins in lysoamidase and study their secretion into the environment.

Selective, non-covalent conjugation of synthetic peptides with recombinant proteins mediated by host-guest chemistry.

The combination of potent chemical moieties with biologically active proteins is key to some of today's most innovative therapeutic drugs. In order to obviate any chemical modification of the proteins, we present a novel and powerful strategy for the selective conjugation of recombinant protein domains with synthetically derived peptides via a cucurbit[8]uril host-guest chemistry approach.

Preparation and Characterization of Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies Against FMDV Serotype O with Synthetic Peptide Antigen

A short linear peptide was designed according to the antigenic site analysis of VP1 protein of foot-and-mouth virus (FMDV) serotype O and synthesized as the peptide immunogen. The peptide, which covers the region from amino acid 133 to 160 of VP1 of FMDV, was linked to the N-terminal cysteine and conjugated with the carrier protein of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Normal 6- to 8-week-old BALB/c mice were immunized with the 20 μg dose conjugated peptide antigen four times. The splenocytes from the immunized mice were fused with SP2/0 mouse myeloma cells, and positive hybridomas were selected by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and subcloned four times with limiting dilution. Five stable hybridoma cell lines, designated as 4F9, 1B11, 1E10, 1D4, and 4B8, were obtained. Isotyping of all obtained MAbs indicated that the MAbs of 4F9, 1E10, and 4B8 belonged to IgG2b; the 1B11 and 1D4 belonged to IgG1 and IgM, respectively. The micro-neutralization test indicated that the MAbs of 4F9, 4B8, and 1B11 were capable of neutralizing FMDV serotype O with neutralization indices ranging from 1.81 to 2.11. These results suggest that linear synthetic peptide conjugate can elicit antibodies against native FMDV virus and can be used as an alternative immunogen for production of MAbs with exact epitope.

Selective adhesion and long-term culturing of radial glia-like neural stem cells on a synthetic peptide-conjugate

Selective adhesion and long-term culturing of radial glia-like neural stem cells on a synthetic peptide-conjugate

Advantages of a Synthetic Peptide Immunogen Over a Protein Immunogen in the Development of an Anti‐Pilus Vaccine for Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The type IV pilus is an important adhesin in the establishment of infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We have previously reported on a synthetic peptide vaccine targeting the receptor-binding domain of the main structural subunit of the pilus, PilA. The receptor-binding domain is a 14-residue disulfide loop at the C-terminal end of the pilin protein. The objective of this study was to compare the immunogenicity of a peptide-conjugate to a protein subunit immunogen to determine which was superior for use in an anti-pilus vaccine. BALB/c mice were immunized with the native PAK strain pilin protein and a synthetic peptide of the receptor-binding domain conjugated to keyhole limpet haemocyanin. A novel pilin protein with a scrambled receptor-binding domain was used to characterize receptor-binding domain-specific antibodies. The titres against the native pilin of the animals immunized with the synthetic peptide-conjugate were higher than the titres of animals immunized with the pilin protein. In addition, the affinities of anti-peptide sera for the intact pilin receptor-binding domain were significantly higher than affinities of anti-pilin protein sera. These results have significant implications for vaccine design and show that there are significant advantages in using a synthetic peptide-conjugate over a subunit pilin protein for an anti-pilus vaccine.

Chirality of TLR-2 ligand Pam3CysSK4 in fully synthetic peptide conjugates critically influences the induction of specific CD8+ T-cells

Covalent conjugation of synthetic Toll-like receptor ligands (TLR-L) to synthetic antigenic peptides provides well-defined constructs that have significantly improved capacity to induce efficient priming of CD8+ T lymphocytes in vivo. We have recently explored the cellular mechanisms underlying the efficient induction of a CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte response by such synthetic model vaccines [Khan, S., Bijker, M.S., Weterings, J.J., Tanke, H.J., Adema, G.J., van, H.T., Drijfhout, J.W., Melief, C.J., Overkleeft, H.S., van der Marel, G.A., Filippov, D.V., van der Burg, S.H., Ossendorp, F., 2007. Distinct uptake mechanisms but similar intracellular processing of two different toll-like receptor ligand-peptide conjugates in dendritic cells. J. Biol. Chem. 282, 21145–21159.]. In the current study we have investigated the behaviour of two diastereomers of the TLR-2 ligand Pam3CSK4 (Pam) derivatives, namely the R- and S-epimers at C-2 of the glycerol moiety. Other studies have shown that the Pam3Cys based lipopeptides of R-configuration (Pam(R)) in the glycerol moiety enhanced macrophage and B-cell activation compared to those with S-configuration (Pam(S)). Here we report that Pam(R)-conjugates lead to better activation of dendritic cells than the Pam(S)-conjugates as judged by higher IL-12 secretion, upregulation of relevant markers for dendritic cell maturation. In contrast both epimers were internalized equally efficient in a clathrin-dependent manner indicating no qualitative difference in the uptake of the two stereoisomeric Pam-conjugates. We conclude that the enhanced DC activation is due to enhanced TLR-2 triggering by the Pam(R)-conjugate in contrast to the Pam(S)-conjugate. Importantly, induction of specific CD8+ T-cells was significantly higher in mice injected with the Pam(R)-conjugates compared to mice injected with the Pam(S)-conjugate. In summary we show that the favourable effects of the Pam(R)-configuration of TLR-2 ligand can be attributed to direct effects on dendritic cells resulting in enhancement of CD8+ T-cell responses.

Cloning and Localization of Heparanase in Bovine Placenta

Heparanase (HPA) degrades heparan sulfate proteoglycan in the extracellular matrix. To understand its role during implantation and placental development in bovine placentae, we cloned and characterized a full-length cDNA encoding bovine HPA and identified HPA localization in placentae. A full-length bovine HPA cDNA was cloned with a 1635 nucleotide open-reading-frame corresponding to a protein of 545 amino acids. The predicted amino acid sequence shares 80.0% and 76.5% identity with human and rat HPA, respectively. In placentomes of 60 and 210 days' gestation, in situ hybridization demonstrated HPA mRNA expression in binucleate cells. Binucleate cells may be a source of HPA throughout gestation in bovine placentae; they may assume specific role(s) in foetal and maternal dialogue. Western blot analysis of bovine placental extracts (day 60) was performed using anti-bovine HPA antibody prepared by immunization of rabbits with synthetic peptide conjugate corresponding to amino acid residues 474–489 of bovine HPA; it showed two immunoreactive proteins with approximate molecular weights of 55kDa and 65kDa. Further, immunofluoresence double staining of HPA and placental lactogen (PL) revealed that binucleate cells expressing HPA had immunoreactivity of PL. These results suggest that HPA is specifically expressed in bovine placental binucleate cells and that it may take migratory roles in placentogenesis for degrading the extracellular matrix.

Enhancement of the protective efficacy of an oprF DNA vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The outer membrane protein F gene ( oprF) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was recently shown by us to protect mice from P. aeruginosa chronic pulmonary infection when used as a DNA vaccine administered by three biolistic (gene gun) intradermal inoculations given at 2-week intervals. In the present study, we used two different strategies to improve the protective efficacy of the DNA vaccine. In the first strategy, mice were primed with two biolistic intradermal inoculations with the oprF vaccine and then were given a final intramuscular booster immunization containing either a synthetic peptide–keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) conjugate or a chimeric influenza virus. Both the synthetic peptide conjugate and the chimeric virus contained peptide 10, a previously identified immunoprotective epitope of protein F. The second strategy involved the addition of a second outer membrane protein to the vaccine. DNA encoding a fusion protein comprised of the C-terminal half of protein F fused to OprI was administered by three biolistic intradermal inoculations. Challenge with P. aeruginosa in a chronic pulmonary infection model demonstrated that boosting with the chimeric virus (but not with peptide–KLH) or adding oprI to the DNA vaccine significantly enhanced protection as compared to that afforded by the oprF vaccine given alone. Thus, both strategies appear to augment the protection afforded by an oprF-only DNA vaccine.

Enhancement of the protective efficacy of an oprF DNA vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The outer membrane protein F gene (oprF) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was recently shown by us to protect mice from P. aeruginosa chronic pulmonary infection when used as a DNA vaccine administered by three biolistic (gene gun) intradermal inoculations given at 2-week intervals. In the present study, we used two different strategies to improve the protective efficacy of the DNA vaccine. In the first strategy, mice were primed with two biolistic intradermal inoculations with the oprF vaccine and then were given a final intramuscular booster immunization containing either a synthetic peptide-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) conjugate or a chimeric influenza virus. Both the synthetic peptide conjugate and the chimeric virus contained peptide 10, a previously identified immunoprotective epitope of protein F. The second strategy involved the addition of a second outer membrane protein to the vaccine. DNA encoding a fusion protein comprised of the C-terminal half of protein F fused to OprI was administered by three biolistic intradermal inoculations. Challenge with P. aeruginosa in a chronic pulmonary infection model demonstrated that boosting with the chimeric virus (but not with peptide-KLH) or adding oprI to the DNA vaccine significantly enhanced protection as compared to that afforded by the oprF vaccine given alone. Thus, both strategies appear to augment the protection afforded by an oprF-only DNA vaccine.

Study of different coupling agents in the conjugation of a V3-based synthetic MAP to carrier proteins.

The conjugation of synthetic peptides to carrier proteins is a widely used method for immunological studies. Different coupling agents have been described to form the conjugate with carrier proteins. In this paper, we demonstrate that the antibody response toward V3-based synthetic MAPs derived from HIV-1, JY1 isolate, conjugated to two different carrier proteins using either m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (MBS) or beta-maleimidopropionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (MPS), or succinic anhydride (SA) show different behaviors. An excellent anti-JY1 response without a strong response to the coupling agent is observed in the case of succinic anhydride spacer. In contrast, MBS produces total abrogation of the antibody response with a high response toward the coupling agent.

ChemInform Abstract: Synthetic Peptide Conjugates — Tailor‐Made Probes for the Biology of Protein Modification and Protein Processing

AbstractChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

Epitope Mapping Studies of Broad Specificity Monoclonal Antibodies to Cereal Prolamins

The characterisation of three monoclonal antibodies (Mabs), two raised against a glutenin fraction of wheat storage protein and a third raised against a synthetic peptide conjugate, is described. The three Mabs exhibited broad reactivity as shown by ELISA and immunoblotting. The amino acid sequences constituting the epitopes recognised by each Mab were determined using immobilised pin-bound peptides and were confirmed by using competitive ELISAs with synthesised peptides. By matching the predicted epitopes with published sequences for a number of cereal storage proteins the degree of reactivity of the Mabs was correlated with the frequency with which these epitopes occur. It was possible, therefore, to show that the observed broad reactivity of the antibodies was a function not of the antibodies (which were highly specific) but resulted from structural homology of the gluten proteins.

Immunization with a synthetic peptide conjugate derived from the N-terminal sequence of either the beta-chain of haemoglobin or the immunosuppressive protein (reOLT 4) reduces the litter size of pregnant rats.

A synthetic peptide conjugate based on the N-terminal sequence of a 10 000 MW immunosuppressive serum protein (reOLT 4) was used to immunize female Lewis rats prior to mating, in order to determine whether blocking this protein had an effect on pregnancy. The N-terminal sequence of (reOLT 4) has close sequence homology to the beta-chain of rat haemoglobin so a peptide conjugate based on the N-terminal sequence of this protein was also used to immunize female Lewis rats. Controls included animals that were not immunized and animals that received the peptide carrier, diphtheria toxoid (DT). No statistical differences were found in gestation time or litter sizes in these groups. Differences were, however, evident between these groups and animals that received DT-(reOLT 4) (group 4) or the DT-beta-chain haemoglobin (group 5). There were no statistical differences in litter size or gestation time for group 4 when compared with group 5. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and dot-blot analysis revealed that rats from both groups also had strong responses against DT, the peptide conjugate they were immunized with and the corresponding full-length protein. In both cases, animals from group 4 and group 5 had weak responses to the peptide that they did not receive, together with lower erythrocyte counts and haematocrits, and elevated heart to body weight ratios. Additionally, antibody purified on a (reOLT 4) immunoaffinity column was capable of binding to rat erythrocytes. A second investigation comparing anaemia prior to fertilization and maintained anaemia over the gestation period revealed that only the latter was capable of decreasing litter size to the same degree as obtained for groups 4 and 5. We conclude that for groups 4 and 5 it is the autoimmune effect of continual anaemia over the gestation period, mediated by autoantibodies, which results in the observed lower litter size.

Analysis by flow cytometry of surface-exposed epitopes of outer membrane protein F of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Antisera were produced in mice immunized with 18 synthetic peptide conjugates representing various regions throughout the length of the outer membrane protein F molecule of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and analysed by flow cytometry to identify those antisera capable of binding to the surface of whole cells of P. aeruginosa. Antibodies to peptides 9, 18, 10, and 4 were significantly cell-surface reactive. The maximum median percentage of antibody-binding cells in this assay was 36.6%. Over six different determinations, peptide 9 antisera binding to the cells ranged from 16.9 to 57.0% of the cell population. We propose that the surface accessibility of protein F epitopes varies during the cell cycle.