Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) is a rare autoimmune neurological disease attributable to autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) more usually associated with the islet beta cell destruction of autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D). SPS is characterized by interference in neurons with the synthesis/activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) resulting in ...

Here, we report on the synthesis, conformational analysis, and autoantibody binding properties of new sets of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) specific biotin-peptide conjugates derived from filaggrin epitope peptides. The biotin with or without a linker was attached to the Cit or Arg containing epitope core ((311)TXGRS(315)) or epitope region ((306)SHQESTXGXSXGRSGRSGS(324)) peptide (where X = Cit), t...

Single-chain antibodies neutralize activity and bind nonoverlapping epitopes of botulinum A neurotoxin. Two phage display epitope libraries were constructed from the 1.3 kb of binding domain cDNA. The minimal epitopes selected against the single-chain Fv-Fc antibodies correspond to conformational epitopes with amino acid residues 1115 to 1223 (S25), 1131 to 1264 (3D12), and 889 to 1294 (C25).

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its most common extracellular mutant, EGFRvIII, are important therapeutic targets in multiple cancer types. A number of monoclonal antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors against these receptors are now used for anticancer treatments. New insights into the structure and function of these receptors illustrate how they can be targeted in novel ways, wi...

We have developed a peptide display platform based on VLPs of the RNA bacteriophage MS2 that combines the high immunogenicity of VLP display with affinity selection capabilities. Random peptides can be displayed on the VLP surface by genetically inserting sequences into a surface-exposed loop of the viral coat protein. VLP-displayed peptides can then be isolated by selection using antibodies, a...

Neutralizing monoclonal antibody (BX-182) directed against the d determinant of hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen protected chimpanzees from infection by HBV subtype adw but not by subtype ayw, as demonstrated by intravenously inoculating a mixture of the antibody with the respective subtype of the virus. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the subtype-specific protection, a combinatori...

The immunodominant epitopes expressed by the HIV-1 envelope protein gp120 are hypermutable, defeating attempts to develop an effective HIV vaccine. Targeting the structurally conserved gp120 determinant that binds host CD4 receptors (CD4BD) and initiates infection is a more promising route to vaccination, but this has proved difficult because of the conformational flexibility of gp120 and immun...

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor family of receptor tyrosine kinases that play important roles in all processes of cell development. Their overexpression is related to many cancers, including examples in the breast, ovaries and stomach. Anticancer therapies targeting the HER2 receptor have shown promise, and monoclonal antibodie...

Platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa inhibitors may become useful antithrombotic agents. Ro 43-5054 is a low molecular weight, noncyclic, peptidomimetic inhibitor that is three orders of magnitude more potent than RGDS in inhibiting fibrinogen binding to purified GPIIb-IIIa and in preventing platelet aggregation. Comparisons of RGDS and Ro 43-5054 in cell adhesion assays showed that, in contrast...

Heterologous protein scaffolds engrafted with structurally defined HIV Env epitopes recognized by broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) represent a promising strategy to elicit broad neutralizing antibodies. In such regards, a protein scaffold based on the HIV p24 CA protein is a highly attractive approach, providing also Gag epitopes for eliciting HIV non-neutralizing protective an...