Identification of a peptide enhancing mucosal and systemic immune responses against EGFP after oral administration in mice.
Gangliosides are receptors for various peptides and proteins including neuropeptides, beta-amyloid proteins, and prions. Recently, the role of gangliosides in mucosal immunization has attracted attention due to the emerging interest in oral vaccination. Ganglioside GM1 exists in abundance on the surface of the M cells of Peyer's patch, a well-known mucosal immunity induction site. In the present study we identified a peptide ligand for GM1 and tested whether it played a role in immune induction. GM1-binding peptides were selected from a phage-displayed dodecapeptide library and one peptide motif, GWKERLSSWNRF, was fused to the C-terminus of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The fusion protein, but not EGFP fused with a control peptide, was concentrated around Peyer's patch after incubation in the lumen of the intestine ex vivo. Furthermore, oral feeding of the fusion protein but not control EGFP induced mucosal and systemic immune responses against EGFP resembling Th2-type immune responses.
Kim
Sae-Hae
SH
Devision of Biological Sciences and Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Chonbuk National University, Chonju 561-756, Korea.
Lee
Kyung-Yeol
KY
Kim
Ju
J
Park
Seung-Moon
SM
Park
Bong Kyun
BK
Jang
Yong-Suk
YS