Polypeptides mimicking MPER and V3-loop HIV-1 Env glycoprotein epitopes

1 . A polypeptide having a length of up to 180 amino acids and containing a sequence selected from sequences identical or differing at most in 5 amino acids from the sequence:

(SEQ ID NO. 2)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA X 21 X 22 X 23 X 24 GNAKVNY

IFNEKEIFEGPKYKMHID X 50 X 51 X 52 GIIEMFMEKLQD

EDEGTYTFQLQ X 76 X 77 X 78 X 79 X 80 NHSTVVLVGDVFK

KLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG,

wherein

X 21 X 22 X 23 X 24 is selected from KAQQ (SEQ ID NO. 33), LSVF (SEQ ID NO. 34), ATPS (SEQ ID NO. 35), EIMW (SEQ ID NO. 36), DGSS (SEQ ID NO. 37), LLPL (SEQ ID NO. 38), WMWW (SEQ ID NO. 39), MNLY (SEQ ID NO. 40), MWRN (SEQ ID NO. 41), IMME (SEQ ID NO. 42), KHQL (SEQ ID NO. 43), HWQF (SEQ ID NO. 44), YAGN (SEQ ID NO. 45) and HGQW (SEQ ID NO. 46);

X 50 X 51 X 52 is selected from RNT, IMF, GHE, PSW, RAN, YFW, ITL, QAM, DMR, WLW, QGE, VQY and VSL;

X 76 X 77 X 78 X 79 X 80 is selected from SHHLG (SEQ ID NO. 47), FMLMM (SEQ ID NO. 48), VILIL (SEQ ID NO. 49), IVTPL (SEQ ID NO. 50), DFIIW (SEQ ID NO. 51), MWSE (deletion) (SEQ ID NO. 52), LYYAW (SEQ ID NO. 53), MMIEY (SEQ ID NO. 54), WMTQT (SEQ ID NO. 55), PQLWL (SEQ ID NO. 56), EPIFL (SEQ ID NO. 57) and QTATY (SEQ ID NO. 58);

said polypeptide optionally further having an affinity tag attached to the N-terminus or to the C-terminus of the sequence.

2 . The polypeptide according to claim 1 , which has the length of up to 180 amino acids and contains a sequence selected from sequences identical or differing at most in 5 amino acids from the sequences:

(SEQ ID NO. 3)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA KAQQ GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID IMF GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ SHHLG

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 4)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA LSVF GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID RNT GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ FMLMM

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 5)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA ATPS GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID GHE GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ VILIL

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 6)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA EIMW GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID PSW GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ IVTPL

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 7)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA DGSS GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID RAN GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ DFIIW

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 8)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA LLPL GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID YFW GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ MWSE N

HSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 9)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA WMWW GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID ITL GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ LYYAW

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 10)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA MNLY GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID QAM GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ MMIEY

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 11)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA MWRN GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID RNT GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ WMTQT

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 12)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA IMME GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID DMR GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ IVTPL

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 13)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA KHQL GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID WLW GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ IVTPL

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 14)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA HWQF GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID QGE GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ PQLWL

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

(SEQ ID NO. 15)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA YAGN GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID VQY GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ EPIFL

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG

and

(SEQ ID NO. 16)

KSELAVEILEKGQVRFWMQA HGQW GNAKVNYIFNEKEIFE

GPKYKMHID VSL GIIEMFMEKLQDEDEGTYTFQLQ QTATY

NHSTVVLVGDVFKKLQKEAEFQRQEWIRKQG,

said polypeptide optionally further having an affinity tag attached to the N-terminus or to the C-terminus of the sequence.

3 . The polypeptide according to claim 1 , having the following variables in SEQ ID NO. 2:

X 21 X 22 X 23 X 24 is selected from KAQQ (SEQ ID NO. 33), LSVF (SEQ ID NO. 34), ATPS (SEQ ID NO. 35), EIMW (SEQ ID NO. 36), DGSS (SEQ ID NO. 37), LLPL (SEQ ID NO. 38), WMWW (SEQ ID NO. 39), and MNLY (SEQ ID NO. 40);

X 50 X 51 X 52 is selected from RNT, IMF, GHE, PSW, RAN, YFW, ITL and QAM;

X 76 X 77 X 78 X 79 X 80 is selected from SHHLG (SEQ ID NO. 47), FMLMM (SEQ ID NO. 48), VILIL (SEQ ID NO. 49), IVTPL (SEQ ID NO. 50), DFIIW (SEQ ID NO. 51), MWSE (deletion) (SEQ ID NO. 52), LYYAW (SEQ ID NO. 53) and MMIEY (SEQ ID NO. 54).

4 . The polypeptide according to claim 1 , having the following variables in SEQ ID NO. 2:

X 21 X 22 X 23 X 24 is selected from MWRN (SEQ ID NO. 41), IMME (SEQ ID NO. 42) and KHQL (SEQ ID NO. 43);

X 50 X 51 X 52 is selected from RNT, DMR and WLW;

X 76 X 77 X 78 X 79 X 80 is selected from IVTPL (SEQ ID NO. 50) and WMTQT (SEQ ID NO. 55).

5 . The polypeptide according to claim 1 , having the following variables in SEQ ID NO. 2:

X 21 X 22 X 23 X 24 is selected from HWQF (SEQ ID NO. 44), YAGN (SEQ ID NO. 45) and HGQW (SEQ ID NO. 46);

X 50 X 51 X 52 is selected from QGE, VQY and VSL;

X 76 X 77 X 78 X 79 X 80 is selected from PQLWL (SEQ ID NO. 56), EPIFL (SEQ ID NO. 57) and QTATY (SEQ ID NO. 58).

6 . The polypeptide according to claim 1 , which has the length of up to 160 amino acids.

7 . A conjugate of the polypeptide according to claim 1 with serum albumin or with heat shock protein hsp70.

8 . The polypeptide according to claim 1 for induction of HIV-1 virus-neutralizing antibodies in a subject in need thereof.

9 . The polypeptide according to claim 3 for induction of HIV-1 virus-neutralizing antibodies targeting the epitope targeted by broadly neutralizing antibody 10E8 in a subject in need thereof.

10 . The polypeptide according to claim 4 for induction of HIV-1 virus-neutralizing antibodies targeting the epitope targeted by broadly neutralizing antibody PGT126 in a subject in need thereof.

11 . The polypeptide according to claim 5 for induction of HIV-1 virus-neutralizing antibodies targeting the epitope targeted by broadly neutralizing antibody PGT121 in a subject in need thereof.

12 . A complementary DNA sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide according to claim 1 .

13 . A host cell, characterized in that it contains at least one DNA sequence of claim 12 .

14 . The conjugate according to claim 7 for induction of HIV-1 virus-neutralizing antibodies in a subject in need thereof.

15 . The conjugate according to claim 7 for prevention of diseases or disorders caused by HIV-1 virus.

16 . The polypeptide according to claim 1 , which has the length of up to 140 amino acids.

17 . The polypeptide according to claim 1 , which has the length of up to 120 amino acids.