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Discover how PEPperPRINT Peptide Microarray products have been used in different fields of research.

Increased neutralization and IgG epitope identification after MVA-MERS-S booster vaccination against Middle East respiratory syndrome

Fathi, Anahita; Dahlke, Christine; Krähling, Verena; Kupke, Alexandra; Okba, Nisreen M. A.; Raadsen, Matthijs P.; Heidepriem, Jasmin; Müller, Marcel A.; Paris, Grigori; Lassen, Susan; Klüver, Michael; Volz, Asisa; Koch, Till; Ly, My L.; Friedrich, Monika; Fux, Robert; Tscherne, Alina; Kalodimou, Georgia; Schmiedel, Stefan; Corman, Victor M.; Hesterkamp, Thomas; Drosten, Christian; Loeffler, Felix F.; Haagmans, Bart L.; Sutter, Gerd; Becker, Stephan; Addo, Marylyn M.
Vaccine development is essential for pandemic preparedness. We previously conducted a Phase 1 clinical trial of the vector vaccine candidate MVA-MERS-S against the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), expressing its full spike glycoprotein (MERS-CoV-S), as a homologous two-dose regimen (Days 0 and 28). Here, we evaluate a third vaccination with MVA-MERS-S in a subgroup of trial participants one year after primary immunization. A booster vaccination with MVA-MERS-S is safe and well-tolerated. Both binding and neutralizing anti-MERS-CoV antibody titers increase substantially in all participants and exceed maximum titers observed after primary immunization more than 10-fold. We identify four immunogenic IgG epitopes, located in the receptor-binding domain (RBD, n=1) and the S2 subunit (n=3) of MERS-CoV-S. The level of baseline anti-human coronavirus antibody titers does not impact the generation of anti-MERS-CoV antibody responses. Our data support the rationale of a booster vaccination with MVA-MERS-S and encourage further investigation in larger trials.

192 Disparities of B-cell type I interferon production and responses in SLE

Winn Chatham, W; Hsu, Hui-Chen; Mountz, John; Wu, Qi; Essman, Alex; Ojo, Oluwagbemiga; Liu, Shanrun; Yang, PingAr; Luo, Bao; Hamilton, Jennie
Background Dysregulated responses to type I interferons (IFNs) is a hallmark of autoreactive B-cell development in SLE. This study investigated the source of IFN, the major type I IFN responsive B cells, and the disparities associated with B-cell IFN production and type I IFN responses. Methods IFN expression in B, CD4 T and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in PBMCs were analyzed by flow cytometry. Single cell gene expression analysis was carried out using the Fluidigm/BioMark system for targeted expression of low abundance genes, and the 10x Chromium platform for unbiased transcriptome and BCR V(D)J analysis of approximately 2,000 B cells per subject. Autoantigen epitope targets were analyzed using a 4287 high-throughput PEPperPrint Autoimmune Epitope Microarray and a conventional ELISA analysis. Results IFN was analyzed in B cells, CD4 T cells and pDCs in PBMCs of SLE patients and healthy controls (HCs). Endogenous IFN was significantly increased in transitional (Tr), mature naïve, and memory B cells of SLE patients compared to HCs. Endogenous IFN in B cells was equivalent to that in pDCs. B-cell endogenous IFN was highly correlated with renal disease, anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm and anti-SSA. Strikingly, the highest correlation of IFN with clinical manifestations was observed in African-American (AA) patients with IgG autoAbs against snRNP323-339, U1snRNP-C97-113. At the single cell transcriptome levels, Tr B cells could be divided into type I IFN expressing (IFN+) or type I IFN stimulated gene (ISG+) subpopulations. TLR7 and TLR3 were mainly expressed by IFN +cells whereas TLR9 was mainly expressed by ISG +B cells. Unbiased single cells analysis of B cells indicated highly expressed ISG gene set in IGHM+, IGHD+, and IGHG +B cells in AA patients with autoantibodies and renal disease. Further, ISG highly expressing SLE B cells exhibited unique heavy- and light-chain repertoires including expression of the autoreactive IGHV4-34 gene, targeted with the 9 G4 anti-idiotype antibody that recognizes DNA- and RBP-autoreactive B cells. Conclusions (i) B cells are an important source of type I IFNs in modulating TLR and BCR responses in SLE; (ii) there are well-orchestrated distinct programs in type I IFN expression and response genes in subsets of B cells, (iii) distinct pathways of autoreactive B cell survival and activation are effected by combined signaling through BCR, TLR, and IFNAR with resultant distinct BCR heavy- and light-chain repertoire.

Targeted volumetric single-molecule localization microscopy of defined presynaptic structures in brain sections

Pauli, Martin; Paul, Mila M.; Proppert, Sven; Sharifi, Marzieh; Repp, Felix; Kollmannsberger, Philip; Sauer, Markus; Heckmann, Manfred; Sirén, Anna-Leena
Mar 2019
ABSTRACT Revealing the molecular organization of anatomically precisely defined brain regions is necessary for the refined understanding of synaptic plasticity. Although, three-dimensional (3D) single-molecule localization microscopy can provide the required molecular resolution, single-molecule imaging more than a few micrometers deep into tissue remains challenging. To quantify presynaptic active zones (AZ) of entire, large, conditional detonator hippocampal mossy fiber (MF) boutons with diameters as large as 10 µm, we developed a method for aberration-free volumetric direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy ( d STORM). An optimized protocol for fast repeated axial scanning and efficient sequential labeling of the AZ scaffold Bassoon and membrane bound GFP with Alexa Fluor 647 enables 3D- d STORM imaging of 25 µm thick mouse brain sections and assignment of AZs to specific neuronal substructures. Quantitative data analysis revealed large differences in Bassoon cluster size and density for distinct hippocampal regions with largest clusters in MF boutons.

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