title: A fully synthetic four-component antitumor vaccine consisting of a mucin glycopeptide antigen combined with three different T-helper-cell epitopes.
abstract: In a new concept of fully synthetic vaccines, the role of T-helper cells is emphasized. Here, a synthetic antitumor vaccine consisting of a diglycosylated tumor-associated MUC1 glycopeptide as the B-cell epitope was covalently cross-linked with three different T-helper-cell epitopes via squaric acid ligation of two linear (glyco)peptides. In mice this four-component vaccine administered without external immune-stimulating promoters elicit titers of MUC1-specific antibodies that were about eight times higher than those induced by a vaccine containing only one T-helper-cell epitope. The promising results indicate that multiple activation of different T-helper cells is useful for applications in which increased immunogenicity is required. In personalized medicine, in particular, this flexible construction of a vaccine can serve as a role model, for example, when T-helper-cell epitopes are needed that match human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in different patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz (Germany).
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Palitzsch
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: Natascha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stergiou
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glaffig
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kunz
mesh_terms: D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D000939:Epitopes; D006020:Glycopeptides; D018396:Mucin-1
keywords: T-cell epitopes; antigen presentation; antitumor vaccines; glycopeptides; tumor cell recognition