N-Glycosylated type Ⅱ collagen peptides as therapeutic saccharide vaccines for rheumatoid arthritis

The interaction among type Ⅱ collagen(CⅡ),human DR4 major histocompatibility complex type Ⅱ molecule(MHC Ⅱ)and T-cell receptor(TCR)is associated with the development of rheumatoid arthritis(RA).The activation of T cells can be reduced through exposure to modified CⅡ(263-272)glycopeptide fragment via competitive inhibition with self-antigen.In this work,30 peptides based on the sequence of CⅡ(263-272)were prepared and evaluated for their binding to DR4 protein by surface plasmon resonance(SPR)assay.The effect on the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors by the spleen cells in collagen induced rheumatoid arthritis(CIA)mouse was also investigated.Two N-glycosylated CⅡ peptides were identified to have strong binding to the human recombinant DR4 protein and weak proinflammatory effect.These glycopeptides could be developed as therapeutic saccharide vaccines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis(RA).