We have developed a novel antigen delivery system based on polysaccharide-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) targeted to antigen presenting cells (APCs) expressing Dectin-1. AuNPs were synthesized de-novo using yeast-derived beta-1,3-glucans (B13Gs) as the reductant and passivating agent in a microwave-catalyzed procedure yielding highly uniform and serum-stable particles. These were further functionalized with both peptides and glycopeptides from the tandem repeat sequence of mucin 4 (MUC4), a glycoprotein overexpressed in pancreatic tumors. The glycosylated sequence contained the Thomsen-Friedenreich disaccharide, a pan-carcinoma, tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen which has been a traditional target for antitumor vaccine design. These motifs were prepared with a cathepsin D protease cleavage site (Gly-Phe-Leu-Gly), loaded on the B13Gs-coated particles and these constructs were examined for Dectin-1 binding, APC processing and presentation in a model in vitro system and for immune responses in mice. We showed that these particles elicit strong in vivo immune responses through the production of both high-titer antibodies and priming of antigen-recognizing T-cells by ELISPOT analysis. Further examination showed that a favorable antitumor balance of expressed cytokines was generated, with little or no expression of immunosuppressive Il-10. This system is modular in that any range of antigens can be conjugated to our particles and efficiently delivered to APCs expressing Dectin-1.
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