Design of a mimotope-peptide based double epitope vaccine against disseminated candidiasis

Hematogenously disseminated candidiasis in humans is the third leading cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections in the US. There is no FDA approved antifungal vaccine or prophylactic/therapeutic antibody for use in humans. We first reported novel synthetic peptide and glycopeptide vaccines against Candida albicans cell surface epitopes that protect mice against disseminated candidiasis. We showed that antibodies specific for the peptide Fba (derived from C. albicans cell surface protein fructose bisphosphate aldolase) or for C. albicans cell surface glycan epitope β-1, 2-mannotriose [β-(Man)₃]) are both protective. This is an important step forward in vaccine design against disseminated candidiasis in humans. However, given the complexity of oligosaccharide synthesis, in this study we performed a new strategy for use of peptide mimotopes that structurally mimic the protective glycan epitope β-(Man)₃ as surrogate immunogens that substitute for the glycan part of glycopeptide [β-(Man)₃-Fba] vaccine. All five selected mimotopes are immunogenic in mice and three mimotopes were able to induce protection in mice against disseminated candidiasis. Furthermore, immunization with three mimotope-peptide conjugate vaccines was also able to induce specific antibody responses, and importantly, protection against disseminated candidiasis in mice. Therefore, our new design of a mimotope-peptide based double epitope vaccine against candidiasis is a potential vaccine candidate that is economical to produce, highly efficacious and safe for use in humans.