Lipopeptide vaccine structures

Fig. 1. Structural representations and fidelity of synthesis of lipopeptide and nonlipidated peptides. (A) Structure of the lipopeptide vaccines palmitic acid, Pam. (B) HPLC chromatograms of purified lipopeptides. Analysis by HPLC was performed on a Waters HPLC System using a Vydac C4 column with 0.1% TFA in water and 0.1% TFA in acetonitrile as a gradient mobile phase. A flow rate of 1 mL/min was used at a gradient of 2%/min. Chromatograms were obtained by the detection of absorbance at a wavelength of 214 nm. (C) Mass spectral analysis of purified lipopeptides. Lipopeptides were analyzed by mass spectrometry using an Agilent 1100 Series LCM/MSD ion trap.

Interactions between lipids and receptors for structurally conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns, most commonly the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), have been studied in detail for their involvement in adjuvant activity. TLRs appear to play an important role in the functioning of many adjuvants and the most important TLRs for lipopeptide or glycolipopeptide vaccines are TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, and TLR6 (van Duin et al. 2006). 

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