Identifying a stable bulk dmLT adjuvant formulation at a clinically relevant concentration.

Double mutant heat-labile toxin (dmLT) is a novel vaccine adjuvant under development with several different vaccine candidates. Studies using existing dmLT adjuvant stocks require significant dilution to achieve a clinically relevant dose. This dilution leads to wastage of the adjuvant.

Structure-based analysis of the beta8 interactive sequence of human alphaB crystallin.

The functional importance of the beta8 sequence ((131)LTITSSLS(138)), which is on the surface of the alpha crystallin core domain of human alphaB crystallin, was evaluated using site-directed mutagenesis. Ultraviolet circular dichroism determined that mutating the surface-exposed, nonconserved residues, Leu-131, Thr-132, Thr-134, Ser-135, Ser-136, and Ser-138 individually or in combination (alphaAbeta8 and CEbeta8), had no measurable effect on secondary and tertiary structure. Size exclusion chromatography determined the size of the complexes formed by the beta8 mutants to be 6-8 subunits larger than wt alphaB crystallin.

The function of the beta3 interactive domain in the small heat shock protein and molecular chaperone, human alphaB crystallin.

Knowledge of the interactive domains on the surface of small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) is necessary for understanding the assembly of complexes and the activity as molecular chaperones. The primary sequences of 26 sHSP molecular chaperones were aligned and compared. In the interactive beta3 sequence, 73DRFSVNLDVKHFS85 of human alphaB crystallin, Ser-76, Asn-78, Lys-82, and His-83 were identified as nonconserved residues on the exposed surface of the alpha crystallin core domain.