Feasibility Analysis of Interleukin-13 as a Target for a Therapeutic Vaccine

In Silico Tool for Identification, Designing, and Searching of IL13-Inducing Peptides in Antigens

Interleukins are a distinctive class of molecules exhibiting various immune signaling functions. Immunoregulatory cytokine, Interleukin 13 (IL13), is primarily synthesized by activated T-helper 2 cells, mast cells, and basophils. IL13, is known to stimulate many allergic and autoimmune diseases, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, airway hyperresponsiveness, glycoprotein hypersecretion, and goblet cell hyperplasia. In addition to such disorders, IL13 also leads to carcinogenesis by inhibiting tumor immunosurveillance. Due to its role in various diseases, predicting IL13-inducing peptides or regions in a protein is vital to designing safe protein vaccines and therapeutics. IL13pred is an in silico tool which aids in identifying, predicting, and designing IL13-inducing peptides. The IL13pred web server and standalone package is easily accessible at ( https://webs.iiitd.edu.in/raghava/il13pred/ ).

Th1 regulatory events by infectious pathogens, herpes zoster and herpes simplex viruses: prospects for therapeutic options for atopic eczema

Infections caused by viral and bacterial pathogens are typically perceived as harmful, such as in cases of herpes zoster and herpes simplex virus infections. However, clinical observation of an improvement in atopic skin lesions upon herpes virus infection has been noted, particularly at the site of varicella and Kaposi’s varicelliform eruption. Th1 immune cells and cytokines, mobilized and induced for protection against infectious pathogens, are expected to improve Th2 dominant atopic symptoms. This study focuses on Th1 immunoregulatory events mediated by infectious pathogens, particularly herpes viruses. Immunoregulatory events induced by herpes viruses may have a potential therapeutic value for treating atopic eczema.

Virus-Like Particle-Mediated Vaccination against Interleukin-13 May Harbour General Anti-Allergic Potential beyond Atopic Dermatitis

Virus-like particle (VLP)-based anti-infective prophylactic vaccination has been established in clinical use. Although validated in proof-of-concept clinical trials in humans, no VLP-based therapeutic vaccination against self-proteins to modulate chronic disease has yet been licensed. The present review summarises recent scientific advances, identifying interleukin-13 as an excellent candidate to validate the concept of anti-cytokine vaccination. Based on numerous clinical studies, long-term elimination of IL-13 is not expected to trigger target-related serious adverse effects and is likely to be safer than combined targeting of IL-4/IL-13. Furthermore, recently published results from large-scale trials confirm that elimination of IL-13 is highly effective in atopic dermatitis, an exceedingly common condition, as well as eosinophilic esophagitis. The distinctly different mode of action of a polyclonal vaccine response is discussed in detail, suggesting that anti-IL-13 vaccination has the potential of outperforming monoclonal antibody-based approaches. Finally, recent data have identified a subset of follicular T helper cells dependent on IL-13 which selectively trigger massive IgE accumulation in response to anaphylactoid allergens. Thus, prophylactic IL-13 vaccination may have broad application in a number of allergic conditions.

Recent Advances in the Use of Plant Virus-Like Particles as Vaccines

Vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions of the 20th century. All vaccines can be classified into different types, such as vaccines against infectious diseases, anticancer vaccines and vaccines against autoimmune diseases. In recent decades, recombinant technologies have enabled the design of experimental vaccines against a wide range of diseases using plant viruses and virus-like particles as central elements to stimulate protective and long-lasting immune responses. The analysis of recent publications shows that at least 97 experimental vaccines have been constructed based on plant viruses, including 71 vaccines against infectious agents, 16 anticancer vaccines and 10 therapeutic vaccines against autoimmune disorders. Several plant viruses have already been used for the development of vaccine platforms and have been tested in human and veterinary studies, suggesting that plant virus-based vaccines will be introduced into clinical and veterinary practice in the near future.