Elucidating functional epitopes within the N-terminal region of malaria transmission blocking vaccine antigen Pfs230

Pfs230 is a leading malaria transmission blocking vaccine (TBV) candidate. Comprising 3135 amino acids (aa), the large size of Pfs230 necessitates the use of sub-fragments as vaccine immunogens. Therefore, determination of which regions induce functional antibody responses is essential. We previously reported that of 27 sub-fragments spanning the entire molecule, only five induced functional antibodies. A “functional” antibody is defined herein as one that inhibits Plasmodium falciparum parasite development in mosquitoes in a standard membrane-feeding assay (SMFA). These five sub-fragments were found within the aa 443–1274 range, and all contained aa 543–730. Here, we further pinpoint the location of epitopes within Pfs230 that are recognized by functional antibodies using antibody depletion and enrichment techniques. Functional epitopes were not found within the aa 918–1274 region. Within aa 443–917, further analysis showed the existence of functional epitopes not only within the aa 543–730 region but also outside of it. Affinity-purified antibodies using a synthetic peptide matching aa 543–588 showed activity in the SMFA. Immunization with a synthetic peptide comprising this segment, formulated either as a carrier-protein conjugate vaccine or with a liposomal vaccine adjuvant system, induced antibodies in mice that were functional in the SMFA. These findings provide key insights for Pfs230-based vaccine design and establish the feasibility for the use of synthetic peptide antigens for a malaria TBV.

NOG-Derived Peptides Can Restore Neuritogenesis on a CRASH Syndrome Cell Model

Homo- and heterophilic binding mediated by the immunoglobulin (Ig)-like repeats of cell adhesion molecules play a pivotal role in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. L1CAM is crucial to neuronal differentiation, in both mature and developing nervous systems, and several studies suggest that its functional interactions are mainly mediated by Ig2–Ig2 binding. X-linked mutations in the human L1CAM gene are summarized as L1 diseases, including the most diagnosed CRASH neurodevelopmental syndrome. In silico simulations provided a molecular rationale for CRASH phenotypes resulting from mutations I179S and R184Q in the homophilic binding region of Ig2. A synthetic peptide reproducing such region could both mimic the neuritogenic capacity of L1CAM and rescue neuritogenesis in a cellular model of the CRASH syndrome, where the full L1CAM ectodomain proved ineffective. Presented functional evidence opens the route to the use of L1CAM-derived peptides as biotechnological and therapeutic tools.

Neutrophil Cathepsin G Proteolysis of Protease Activated Receptor 4 Generates a Novel, Functional Tethered Ligand

Platelet-neutrophil interactions regulate ischemic vascular injury. Platelets are activated by serine proteases that cleave protease activated receptor (PAR) amino-termini, resulting in an activating tethered ligand. Neutrophils release cathepsin G (CatG) at sites of injury and inflammation, which activates PAR4 but not PAR1, although the molecular mechanism of CatG-induced PAR4 activation is unknown. We show that blockade of the canonical PAR4 thrombin cleavage site did not alter CatG-induced platelet aggregation, suggesting CatG cleaves a different site than thrombin. Mass spectrometry analysis using PAR4 N-terminus peptides revealed CatG cleavage at Ser67-Arg68. A synthetic peptide, RALLLGWVPTR, representing the tethered ligand resulting from CatG proteolyzed PAR4, induced PAR4-dependent calcium flux and greater platelet aggregation than the thrombin-generated GYPGQV peptide. Mutating PAR4 Ser67 or Arg68 reduced CatG-induced calcium flux without affecting thrombin-induced calcium flux. Dog platelets, which contain a conserved CatG PAR4 Ser-Arg cleavage site, aggregated in response to human CatG and RALLLGWVPTR, while mouse (Ser-Gln) and rat (Ser-Glu) platelets, were unresponsive. Thus, CatG amputates the PAR4 thrombin cleavage site by cleavage at Ser67-Arg68 and activates PAR4 by generating a new functional tethered ligand. These findings support PAR4 as an important CatG signaling receptor and suggest a novel therapeutic approach for blocking platelet-neutrophil-mediated pathophysiologies.

The SARS-CoV-2 spike residues 616/644 and 1138/1169 delineate two antibody epitopes in COVID-19 mRNA COMINARTY vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech)

The newly identified coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the worldwide pandemic COVID-19. Considerable efforts have been made for the development of effective vaccine strategies against COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has been assigned as major antigen candidate for the development of COVID-19 vaccines. The COVID-19 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine (comirnaty, Pfizer/BioNTech) is a lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated mRNA encoding a full-length and prefusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. In the present study, synthetic peptide-based ELISA assays were performed to identify linear B cell epitopes that contribute to elicitation of antibody response in vaccinated individuals with comirnaty. The synthetic S2P6 peptide containing the spike residues 1138/1169 and to a lesser extent, the synthetic S1P4 peptide containing the spike residues 616/644 were recognized by the immune sera from comirnaty recipients but not COVID-19 recovered patients. The S2P6 peptide has been identified as immunogenic peptide in adult BALB/c mice that received protein-peptide conjugates in a prime-boost schedule. Based on our data, we propose that the synthetic S2P6 peptide and to a lesser extent the synthetic S1P4 peptide, would be of interest to measure the dynamic of antibody response to comirnaty vaccine. The synthetic S2P6 peptide is a SARS-CoV-2 spike peptide candidate for the development of peptide-based vaccines against COVID-19.

Treatment of age-related visual impairment with a mitochondrial-acting peptide.

Age-related visual decline and disease due to neural dysfunction are major sources of disability that have resisted effective treatment. In light of evidence that visual impairment and mitochondrial dysfunction advance with age, we characterized age-related decline of spatial visual function in mice and investigated whether treating aged mice with a drug, Elamipretide (SS31), that has been reported to improve mitochondrial function would treat it. Impaired photopic acuity measured with a virtual optokinetic system emerged near 18 months, and declined to ∼40% below normal by 34 months. Daily application of the synthetic peptide Elamipretide, which has high selectivity for mitochondrial membranes that contain cardiolipin, and promotes efficient electron transfer, was able to mitigate visual decline from 18 months. Daily application from 24 months, when acuity was reduced by ∼16%, reversed visual decline and normalized function within 2 months; recovered function that persisted for at least 3 months after treatment was withdrawn. A single treatment at 24 months also delayed subsequent visual decline. Daily application from 32 months took longer to affect change, but enabled substantial improvement within 2 months. The effects of age and Elamipretide treatment on contrast sensitivity were similar to those on acuity, systemic and eye drop applications of Elamipretide had comparable effects, scotopic spatial visual function was largely unaffected by age or treatment, and altered function was independent of variation in optical clarity. These data indicate that Elamipretide treatment adaptively alters the aging visual system, and provide a rationale to investigate whether mitochondrial dysfunction is a treatable pathophysiology of human visual aging and age-related visual disease.

Thymodepressin—Unforeseen Immunosuppressor

The paper summarizes the available information concerning the biological properties and biomedical applications of Thymodepressin. This synthetic peptide drug displays pronounced immunoinhibitory activity across a wide range of conditions in vitro and in vivo. The history of its unforeseen discovery is briefly reviewed, and the current as well as potential expansion areas of medicinal practice are outlined. Additional experimental evidence is obtained, demonstrating several potential advantages of Thymodepressin over another actively used immunosuppressor drug, cyclosporin A.

Hexapeptides from mammalian inhibitory hormone hunt activate and inactivate nematode reproduction

Increased reproduction (x3) of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema siamkayai occurred when exposed to one synthetic peptide (IEPVFT), while the fecundity of worms exposed to hexamer (KLKMNG) was reduced (x0.5). These hexamers were opposite ends of a 14 amino acid (aa) synthetic peptide KLKMNGKNIEPVFT (EPL030). The bioactivity of the hexamers is surprising it is a scrambled-sequence control of another peptide, MKPLTGKVKEFNNI (EPL001) which are bioinformatically obscure. EPL001 emerged from a physicochemical fractionation aimed at finding a postulated hormone that is reproductively related and tissue-mass reducing and has antiproliferative effects on human prostate cancer cells and rat bone marrow cells in vitro. Intracerebroventricular infusion of EPL001 in sheep was associated with elevated growth hormone in peripheral blood and reduced prolactin. The highly dissimilar EPL001 and EPL030 nonetheless have the foregoing biological effects in common in mammalian systems, while being divergently pro- and anti-fecundity respectively in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Immunoprecipitation of EPL001 using an anti-EPL001 antibody suggests it encodes the sheep neuroendocrine prohormone secretogranin II (sSgII). Using bespoke bioinformatics with six sSgII residues deduced bioactivity to key aa: MKPLTGKVKEFNNI. Peptides more potent as cell inhibitors than EPL001 suggest a stereospecific bimodular tri-residue signature (i.e. simultaneous accessibility for binding of two specific trios of aa side chains, MKP & VFN). An evolutionarily conserved receptor is conceptualised as having dimeric binding sites, each with ligand-matching bimodular stereocentres. Sequence analysis and computational modelling suggest the activity of the control peptide EPL030 and its N- and C-terminal hexapeptide progeny is due the novel hormonal motif MKPVFN.