Synthetic peptide vaccine development: designing dual epitopes into a single pilin peptide immunogen generates antibody cross-reactivity between two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

ABSTRACT: One of the main challenges of Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine development is the design of an antigen that elicits cross-reactive antibodies against multiple virulent strains. Using a rational design approach, we have developed a single 17-residue peptide immunogen that generates antibodies that target the receptor-binding domain of the type IV pilus of more than one strain of P. aeruginosa. Using the receptor-binding domain sequence, of native strain PAO as a template, we have systematically changed up to five residues in the PAO sequence of the peptide immunogen into that of the PAK sequence. We show by indirect and competitive ELISA that the mutant peptide immunogens elicit the development of polyclonal sera that is cross-reactive to both native strain PAO and PAK pilin. We further show

SUBMITTER: Hackbarth C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2949483 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature