A Large Size Chimeric Highly Immunogenic Peptide Presents Multistage Plasmodium Antigens as a Vaccine Candidate System against Malaria.

Rational strategies for obtaining malaria vaccine candidates should include not only a proper selection of target antigens for antibody stimulation, but also a versatile molecular design based on ordering the right pieces from the complex pathogen molecular puzzle towards more active and functional immunogens. Classical Plasmodium falciparum antigens regarded as vaccine candidates have been selected as model targets in this study. Among all possibilities we have chosen epitopes of PfCSP, STARP; MSA1 and Pf155/RESA from pre- and erythrocyte stages respectively for designing a large 82-residue chimeric immunogen. A number of options aimed at diminishing steric hindrance for synthetic procedures were assessed based on standard Fmoc chemistry such as building block orthogonal ligation; pseudo-proline and microwave-assisted procedures, therefore the large-chimeric target was produced, characterized and immunologically tested. Antigenicity and functional in vivo efficacy tests of the large-chimera formulations administered alone or as antigen mixtures have proven the stimulation of high antibody titers, showing strong correlation with protection and parasite clearance of vaccinated BALB/c mice after being lethally challenged with both P. berghei-ANKA and P. yoelii 17XL malaria strains. Besides, 3D structure features shown by the large-chimera encouraged as to propose using these rational designed large synthetic molecules as reliable vaccine candidate-presenting systems.

Protecting capacity against malaria of chemically defined tetramer forms based on the Plasmodium falciparum apical sushi protein as potential vaccine components.

Developing novel generations of subunit-based antimalarial vaccines in the form of chemically-defined macromolecule systems for multiple antigen presentation represents a classical problem in the field of vaccine development. Many efforts involving synthesis strategies leading to macromolecule constructs have been based on dendrimer-like systems, the condensation of large building blocks and conventional asymmetric double dimer constructs, all based on lysine cores. This work describes novel symmetric double dimer and condensed linear constructs for presenting selected peptide multi-copies from the apical sushi protein expressed in Plasmodium falciparum. These molecules have been proved to be safe and innocuous, highly antigenic and have shown strong protective efficacy in rodents challenged with two Plasmodium species. Insights into systematic design, synthesis and characterisation have led to such novel antigen systems being used as potential platforms for developing new anti-malarial vaccine candidates.

Redefining an epitope of a malaria vaccine candidate, with antibodies against the N-terminal MSA-2 antigen of Plasmodium harboring non-natural peptide bonds.

The aim of obtaining novel vaccine candidates against malaria and other transmissible diseases can be partly based on selecting non-polymorphic peptides from relevant antigens of pathogens, which have to be then precisely modified for inducing a protective immunity against the disease. Bearing in mind the high degree of the MSA-2(21-40) peptide primary structure's genetic conservation among malaria species, and its crucial role in the high RBC binding ability of Plasmodium falciparum (the main agent causing malaria), structurally defined probes based on non-natural peptide-bond isosteres were thus designed. Thus, two peptide mimetics were obtained (so-called reduced amide pseudopeptides), in which naturally made amide bonds of the (30)FIN(32)-binding motif of MSA-2 were replaced with ψ-[CH2-NH] methylene amide isostere bonds, one between the F-I and the second between I-N amino acid pairs, respectively, coded as ψ-128 ψ-130. These peptide mimetics were used to produce poly- and monoclonal antibodies in Aotus monkeys and BALB/c mice. Parent reactive mice-derived IgM isotype cell clones were induced to Ig isotype switching to IgG sub-classes by controlled in vitro immunization experiments. These mature isotype immunoglobulins revealed a novel epitope in the MSA-2(25-32) antigen and two polypeptides of rodent malaria species. Also, these antibodies' functional activity against malaria was tested by in vitro assays, demonstrating high efficacy in controlling infection and evidencing neutralizing capacity for the rodent in vivo malaria infection. The neutralizing effect of antibodies induced by site-directed designed peptide mimetics on Plasmodium's biological development make these pseudopeptides a valuable tool for future development of immunoprophylactic strategies for controlling malarial infection.