title: Applying the Concept of Peptide Uniqueness to Anti-Polio Vaccination.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although rare, adverse events may associate with anti-poliovirus vaccination thus possibly hampering global polio eradication worldwide.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To design peptide-based anti-polio vaccines exempt from potential cross-reactivity risks and possibly able to reduce rare potential adverse events such as the postvaccine paralytic poliomyelitis due to the tendency of the poliovirus genome to mutate.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proteins from poliovirus type 1, strain Mahoney, were analyzed for amino acid sequence identity to the human proteome at the pentapeptide level, searching for sequences that (1) have zero percent of identity to human proteins, (2) are potentially endowed with an immunologic potential, and (3) are highly conserved among poliovirus strains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sequence analyses produced a set of consensus epitopic peptides potentially able to generate specific anti-polio immune responses exempt from cross-reactivity with the human host.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Peptide sequences unique to poliovirus proteins and conserved among polio strains might help formulate a specific and universal anti-polio vaccine able to react with multiple viral strains and exempt from the burden of possible cross-reactions with human proteins. As an additional advantage, using a peptide-based vaccine instead of current anti-polio DNA vaccines would eliminate the rare post-polio poliomyelitis cases and other disabling symptoms that may appear following vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies, and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Darja
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kanduc
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies, and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Candida
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fasano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies, and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Capone
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pesce Delfino
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calabrò
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Polimeno
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003429:Cross Reactions; D006801:Humans; D009188:Myelitis, Transverse / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D040901:Proteomics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013045:Species Specificity; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit; D014764:Viral Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines