A fully synthetic glycopeptide antitumor vaccine based on multiple antigen presentation on a hyperbranched polymer.

For antitumor vaccines both the selected tumor-associated antigen, as well as the mode of its presentation, affect the immune response. According to the principle of multiple antigen presentation, a tumor-associated MUC1 glycopeptide combined with the immunostimulating T-cell epitope P2 from tetanus toxoid was coupled to a multi-functionalized hyperbranched polyglycerol by "click chemistry". This globular polymeric carrier has a flexible dendrimer-like structure, which allows optimal antigen presentation to the immune system. The resulting fully synthetic vaccine induced strong immune responses in mice and IgG antibodies recognizing human breast-cancer cells.

Antibody Induction Directed against the Tumor-Associated MUC4 Glycoprotein

Mucin glycoproteins are important diagnostic and therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. Although several strategies have been developed to explore anti-tumor vaccines based on MUC1 glycopeptides, only few studies have focused on vaccines directed against the tumor-associated MUC4 glycoprotein. MUC4 is an important tumor marker overexpressed in lung cancer and uniquely expressed in pancreatic ductual adenocarcinoma. The aberrant glycosylation of MUC4 in tumor cells results in an exposure of its peptide backbone and the formation of tumor-associated glycopeptide antigens. Due to the low immunogenicity of these endogenous structures, their conjugation with immune stimulating peptide or prot…

A Fully Synthetic Four-Component Antitumor Vaccine Consisting of a Mucin Glycopeptide Antigen Combined with Three Different T-Helper-Cell Epitopes

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 …

A Synthetic Glycopeptide Vaccine for the Induction of a Monoclonal Antibody that Differentiates between Normal and Tumor Mammary Cells and Enables the Diagnosis of Human Pancreatic Cancer.

In studies within the realm of cancer immunotherapy, the synthesis of exactly specified tumor-associated glycopeptide antigens is shown to be a key strategy for obtaining a highly selective biological reagent, that is, a monoclonal antibody that completely differentiates between tumor and normal epithelial cells and specifically marks the tumor cells in pancreas tumors. Mucin MUC1, which is overexpressed in many prevalent cancers, was identified as a promising target for this strategy. Tumor-associated MUC1 differs significantly from that expressed by normal cells, in particular by altered glycosylation. Structurally defined tumor-associated MUC1 cannot be isolated from tumor cells. We synt…

Inside Cover: Antibody Induction Directed against the Tumor-Associated MUC4 Glycoprotein (ChemBioChem 6/2015)

Synthesis of tumor-associated MUC1-glycopeptides and their multivalent presentation by functionalized gold colloids

The mucin MUC1 is a glycoprotein involved in fundamental biological processes, which can be found over-expressed and with a distinctly altered glycan pattern on epithelial tumor cells; thus it is a promising target structure in the quest for effective carbohydrate-based cancer vaccines and immunotherapeutics. Natural glycopeptide antigens indicate only a low immunogenicity and a T-cell independent immune response; however, this major drawback can be overcome by coupling of glycopeptide antigens multivalently to immunostimulating carrier platforms. In particular, gold nanoparticles are well suited as templates for the multivalent presentation of glycopeptide antigens, due to their remarkably…

A Synthetic MUC1 Anticancer Vaccine Containing Mannose Ligands for Targeting Macrophages and Dendritic Cells

A MUC1 anticancer vaccine equipped with covalently linked divalent mannose ligands was found to improve the antigen uptake and presentation by targeting mannose-receptor-positive macrophages and dendritic cells. It induced much stronger specific IgG immune responses in mice than the non-mannosylated reference vaccine. Mannose coupling also led to increased numbers of macrophages, dendritic cells, and CD4+ T cells in the local lymph organs. Comparison of di- and tetravalent mannose ligands revealed an increased binding of the tetravalent version, suggesting that higher valency improves binding to the mannose receptor. The mannose-coupled vaccine and the non-mannosylated reference vaccine ind…

Inside Back Cover: Microarray Analysis of Antibodies Induced with Synthetic Antitumor Vaccines: Specificity against Diverse Mucin Core Structures (Chem. Eur. J. 16/2017)

Eine vollsynthetische Vier-Komponenten-Antitumor-Vakzine mit einem MUC1-Glycopeptid und drei verschiedenen T-Helferzell- Epitopen

In einem neuen Konzept fur vollsynthetische Vakzine wird die Rolle von T-Helferzellen hervorgehoben. In einer solchen synthetischen Antitumor-Vakzine wurde ein zweifach glycosyliertes tumorassoziiertes MUC1-Glycopeptid als B-Zellepitop mit drei verschiedenen T-Helferzell-Epitopen durch Quadratsaurekonjugation zweier linearer (Glyco)Peptide kovalent verknupft. In Mausen loste die Impfung mit dieser Vier-Komponenten-Vakzine ohne zusatzliche Immunstimulantien etwa achtmal hohere MUC1-spezifische Antikorpertiter aus als eine Vakzine, die nur ein T-Helferzell-Epitop enthielt. Diese ermutigenden Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die gleichzeitige Aktivierung von T-Helferzellen verschiedener Spezifitat nutz…

ChemInform Abstract: Tumor-Associated Glycopeptide Antigens and Their Modification in Anticancer Vaccines

Water-Soluble Polymers Coupled with Glycopeptide Antigens and T-Cell Epitopes as Potential Antitumor Vaccines

Highly decorated: Tumor-associated MUC1 glycopeptide and tetanus toxoid T-cell epitope P2 can be attached to water-soluble poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide) carriers by orthogonal ligation techniques. Fully synthetic vaccine A with additional nanostructure-promoting domains induced antibodies that exhibit high affinity to tumor cells.

Ein durch eine synthetische Glycopeptid-Vakzine induzierter monoklonaler Antiköper unterscheidet normale von malignen Brustzellen und ermöglicht die Diagnose von humanen Pankreaskarzinomen

Microarray analysis of antibodies induced with synthetic antitumor vaccines : specificity against diverse mucin core structures

Glycoprotein research is pivotal for vaccine development and biomarker discovery. Many successful methodologies for reliably increasing the antigenicity toward tumor-associated glycopeptide structures have been reported. Deeper insights into the quality and specificity of the raised polyclonal, humoral reactions are often not addressed, despite the fact that an immunological memory, which produces antibodies with cross-reactivity to epitopes exposed on healthy cells, may cause autoimmune diseases. In the current work, three MUC1 antitumor vaccine candidates conjugated with different immune stimulants are evaluated immunologically. For assessment of the influence of the immune stimulant on a…

CpG-Loaded Multifunctional Cationic Nanohydrogel Particles as Self-Adjuvanting Glycopeptide Antitumor Vaccines

Self-adjuvanting antitumor vaccines by multifunctional cationic nanohydrogels loaded with CpG. A conjugate consisting of tumor-associated MUC1-glycopeptide B-cell epitope and tetanus toxin T-cell epitope P2 is linked to cationic nanogels. Oligonucleotide CpG complexation enhances toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulated T-cell proliferation and rapid immune activation. This co-delivery promotes induction of specific MUC1-antibodies binding to human breast tumor cells without external adjuvant.

Mit Glycopeptid-Antigenen und T-Zell-Epitopen verknüpfte wasserlösliche Polymere als potenzielle Antitumor-Vakzine