title: Immune-tolerant elastin-like polypeptides (iTEPs) and their application as CTL vaccine carriers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) vaccine carriers are known to enhance the efficacy of vaccines, but a search for more effective carriers is warranted. Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) have been examined for many medical applications but not as CTL vaccine carriers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to create immune tolerant ELPs using a new polypeptide engineering practice and create CTL vaccine carriers using the ELPs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four sets of novel ELPs, termed immune-tolerant elastin-like polypeptide (iTEP) were generated according to the principles dictating humoral immunogenicity of polypeptides and phase transition property of ELPs. The iTEPs were non-immunogenic in mice. Their phase transition feature was confirmed through a turbidity assay. An iTEP nanoparticle (NP) was assembled from an amphiphilic iTEP copolymer plus a CTL peptide vaccine, SIINFEKL. The NP facilitated the presentation of the vaccine by dendritic cells (DCs) and enhanced vaccine-induced CTL responses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A new ELP design and development practice was established. The non-canonical motif and the immune tolerant nature of the iTEPs broaden our insights about ELPs. ELPs, for the first time, were successfully used as carriers for CTL vaccines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is feasible to concurrently engineer both immune-tolerant and functional peptide materials. ELPs are a promising type of CTL vaccine carriers.
authors: a Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry , University of Utah , Salt Lake City , UT , USA and.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Cho
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Dong
authors: b Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Michigan State University , East Lansing , MI , USA.
authors: K N
authors: KN
authors: Parent
authors: a Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry , University of Utah , Salt Lake City , UT , USA and.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D015195:Drug Design; D004549:Elastin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D056724:Immunity, Humoral / Q000187:drug effects; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D053758:Nanoparticles; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D044367:Phase Transition; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D044366:Transition Temperature; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D010455:Peptides; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D004549:Elastin
keywords: Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) vaccine; immune-tolerant elastin-like polypeptide; inverse phase transition; non-canonical elastin-like polypeptide motifs; reversible; thermally-induced; vaccine carrier