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

HSP70iQ435A to subdue autoimmunity and support anti-tumor responses

Jaishankar, Dinesh; Cosgrove, Cormac; Ramesh, Prathyaya; Mahon, James; Shivde, Rohan; Dellacecca, Emilia R.; Yang, Shiayin F.; Mosenson, Jeffrey; Guevara-Patiño, José A.; Le Poole, I. Caroline
Cell Stress and Chaperones.
Sep 2021
Developing immunosuppressive therapies for autoimmune diseases comes with a caveat that immunosuppression may promote the risk of developing other conditions or diseases. We have previously shown that biolistic delivery of an expression construct encoding inducible HSP70 (HSP70i) with one amino acid modification in the dendritic cell (DC) activating moiety 435–445 (HSP70iQ435A) to mouse skin resulted in significant immunosuppressive activity of autoimmune vitiligo, associated with fewer tissue infiltrating T cells. To prepare HSP70iQ435A as a potential therapeutic for autoimmune vitiligo, in this study we evaluated whether and how biolistic delivery of HSP70iQ435A in mice affects anti-tumor responses. We found that HSP70iQ435A in fact supports anti-tumor responses in melanoma-challenged C57BL/6 mice. Biolistic delivery of the HSP70iQ435A-encoding construct to mice elicited significant anti-HSP70 titers, and anti-HSP70 IgG and IgM antibodies recognize surface-expressed and cytoplasmic HSP70i in human and mouse melanoma cells. A peptide scan revealed that the anti-HSP70 antibodies recognize a specific C-terminal motif within the HSP70i protein. The antibodies elicited surface CD107A expression among mouse NK cells, representative of antibody-mediated cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), supporting the concept, that HSP70iQ435A-encoding DNA elicits a humoral response to the stress protein expressed selectively on the surface of melanoma cells. Thus, besides limiting autoimmunity and inflammation, HSP70iQ435A elicits humoral responses that limit tumor growth and may be used in conjunction with immune checkpoint inhibitors to not only control tumor but to also limit adverse events following tumor immunotherapy.

Non-invasive immunoPET imaging of PD-L1 using anti-PD-L1-B11 in breast cancer and melanoma tumor model

Bansal, Aditya; Pandey, Mukesh K.; Barham, Whitney; Liu, Xin; Harrington, Susan M.; Lucien, Fabrice; Dong, Haidong; Park, Sean S.; DeGrado, Timothy R.
Nuclear Medicine and Biology.
May 2021
Introduction Immunotherapy targeting PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) is efficacious in various solid and hematologic malignancies. However, the response rate to PD-1/PD-L1 therapy is only 15–35%. To obtain optimal clinical response to ICI therapies, a reliable assessment of tumor PD-L1 expression is needed to select appropriate patients, and a non-invasive imaging-based assessment of PD-L1 expression is critically needed. Although radiolabeled PET probes based on PD-L1 targeted therapeutic antibodies (e.g. atezolizumab) have shown encouraging results, there is concern that residual therapeutic antibody may compete for binding with the radiotracer thereby compromising imaging studies that follow treatment. Methods and results In this study, we used novel anti-PD-L1-B11 clone antibody known to bind to a different epitope of PD-L1 than the therapeutic antibodies to avoid potential saturation effects. The anti-PD-L1-B11 clone was radiolabeled with zirconium-89 and evaluated to detect PD-L1 expression in various in vitro and in vivo cancer model systems in comparison with [89Zr]Zr-DFO-NCS-atezolizumab. In vitro binding parameters of anti-PD-L1-B11 were like those of atezolizumab. [89Zr]Zr-DFO-NCS-anti-PD-L1-B11 clone showed favorable properties to [89Zr]Zr-DFO-NCS-atezolizumab in an in vivo breast cancer tumor model system with higher uptake in PD-L1 expressing tumors. Conclusion Our data demonstrates that [89Zr]Zr-DFO-NCS-anti-PD-L1-B11 exhibits excellent imaging properties for the assessment PD-L1 expression. The independent binding site of anti-PD-L1-B11 relative to therapeutic anti-PD-L1 antibodies may be advantageous for anti-PD-L1 therapy monitoring.

Analysis of chronic inflammatory lesions of the colon for BMMF Rep antigen expression and CD68 macrophage interactions

Bund, Timo; Nikitina, Ekaterina; Chakraborty, Deblina; Ernst, Claudia; Gunst, Karin; Boneva, Boyana; Tessmer, Claudia; Volk, Nadine; Brobeil, Alexander; Weber, Achim; Heikenwalder, Mathias; Zur Hausen, Harald; de Villiers, Ethel-Michele
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
Mar 2021
Consumption of Eurasian bovine meat and milk has been associated with cancer development, in particular with colorectal cancer (CRC). In addition, zoonotic infectious agents from bovine products were proposed to cause colon cancer (zur Hausen et al., 2009). Bovine meat and milk factors (BMMF) are small episomal DNA molecules frequently isolated from bovine sera and milk products, and recently, also from colon cancer (de Villiers et al., 2019). BMMF are bioactive in human cells and were proposed to induce chronic inflammation in precancerous tissue leading to increased radical formation: for example, reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species and elevated levels of DNA mutations in replicating cells, such as cancer progenitor cells (zur Hausen et al., 2018). Mouse monoclonal antibodies against the replication (Rep) protein of H1MSB.1 (BMMF1) were used to analyze BMMF presence in different cohorts of CRC peritumor and tumor tissues and cancer-free individuals by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. BMMF DNA was isolated by laser microdissection from immunohistochemistry-positive tissue regions. We found BMMF Rep protein present specifically in close vicinity of CD68+ macrophages in the interstitial lamina propria adjacent to CRC tissues, suggesting the presence of local chronic inflammation. BMMF1 (modified H1MSB.1) DNA was isolated from the same tissue regions. Rep and CD68+ detection increased significantly in peritumor cancer tissues when compared to tissues of cancer-free individuals. This strengthens previous postulations that BMMF function as indirect carcinogens by inducing chronic inflammation and DNA damage in replicating cells, which represent progress to progenitor cells for adenoma (polyps) formation and cancer.

A new reliable and highly specific monoclonal antibody to detect the C‐terminal region of silencer of cytokine signaling 1

Weissinger, Stephanie E.; Zahn, Malena; Marienfeld, Ralf; Tessmer, Claudia; Moldenhauer, Gerhard; Möller, Peter
Eur J Haematol.
Mar 2021
Introduction SOCS1, a negative regulator of JAK/STAT signaling, is among the most frequently mutated genes in DLBCL and classical Hodgkin lymphoma. The C-terminal SOCS box domain, mediating the degradation of phospho-JAK2, is often affected or even lacking. The analysis of such variants is hampered by the lack of a SOCS1-specific monoclonal antibody recognizing the C-terminus of SOCS1. As this C-terminus is often lost or mutated in B-cell lymphomas, staining with amino-terminal targeting antibodies in a lymphoma setting might be misleading. Methods BALB/c mice were immunized with a truncated SOCS1 C-terminal protein. The supernatant of generated hybridoma cells was screened by ELISA and, immunohistochemically, on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tonsil. After antibody purification by affinity chromatography, epitope mapping and cross-reactivity check followed via substitution scans. SOCS1 protein expression was investigated on cell cultures and cytoblocks of SOCS1WT stably transfected HEK293T cells, lymphoma cell lines and lymphoid tissues. Results Procedures resulted in one monoclonal IgG1 anti-SOCS1 antibody, 424C, that recognizes and strongly binds to the C-terminal region of SOCS1 in immunoblot and immunohistochemistry analyses. Conclusion This new anti-SOCS1 monoclonal antibody is a valuable tool to detect SOCS1 expression dependent on an existing SOCS1 box and, therefore, indicating a full-length SOCS1 protein.

Scoping review of the applications of peptide microarrays on the fight against human infections

Vengesai, Arthur; Kasambala, Maritha; Mutandadzi, Hamlet; Mduluza-Jokonya, Tariro L.; Mduluza, Takafira; Naicker, Thajasvarie
Abstract Introduction This scoping review explores the use of peptide microarrays in the fight against infectious diseases. The research domains explored included the use of peptide microarrays in the mapping of linear B-cell and T cell epitopes, antimicrobial peptide discovery, immunosignature characterisation and disease immunodiagnostics. This review also provides a short overview of peptide microarray synthesis.   Methods Electronic databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies. The review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and data charting was performed using a predefined form. The results were reported by narrative synthesis in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Results Eighty-six articles from 100 studies were included in the final data charting process. The majority (93%) of the articles were published during 2010–2020 and were mostly from Europe (44%) and North America (34 %). The findings were from the investigation of viral (44%), bacterial (30%), parasitic (25%) and fungal (2%) infections. Out of the serological studies, IgG was the most reported antibody type followed by IgM. The largest portion of the studies (78%) were related to mapping B-cell linear epitopes, 10% were on diagnostics, 9% reported on immunosignature characterisation and 6% reported on viral and bacterial cell binding assays. Two studies reported on T-cell epitope profiling. Conclusion The most important application of peptide microarrays was found to be B-cell epitope mapping or antibody profiling to identify diagnostic and vaccine targets. Immunosignatures identified by random peptide microarrays were found to be applied in the diagnosis of infections and interrogation of vaccine responses. The analysis of the interactions of random peptide microarrays with bacterial and viral cells using binding assays enabled the identification of antimicrobial peptides. Peptide microarray arrays were also used for T-cell linear epitope mapping which may provide more information for the design of peptide-based vaccines and for the development of diagnostic reagents.

Comparison of Monoclonal Gammopathies Linked to Poliovirus or Coxsackievirus vs. Other Infectious Pathogens

Harb, Jean; Mennesson, Nicolas; Lepetit, Cassandra; Fourny, Maeva; Louvois, Margaux; Bosseboeuf, Adrien; Allain-Maillet, Sophie; Decaux, Olivier; Moreau, Caroline; Tallet, Anne; Piver, Eric; Moreau, Philippe; Salle, Valéry; Bigot-Corbel, Edith; Hermouet, Sylvie
Chronic stimulation by infectious pathogens or self-antigen glucosylsphingosine (GlcSph) can lead to monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and multiple myeloma (MM). Novel assays such as the multiplex infectious antigen microarray (MIAA) and GlcSph assays, permit identification of targets for >60% purified monoclonal immunoglobulins (Igs). Searching for additional targets, we selected 28 purified monoclonal Igs whose antigen was not represented on the MIAA and GlcSph assays; their specificity of recognition was then analyzed using microarrays consisting of 3760 B-cell epitopes from 196 pathogens. The peptide sequences PALTAVETG and PALTAAETG of the VP1 coat proteins of human poliovirus 1/3 and coxsackievirus B1/B3, respectively, were specifically recognized by 6/28 monoclonal Igs. Re-analysis of patient cohorts showed that purified monoclonal Igs from 10/155 MGUS/SM (6.5%) and 3/147 MM (2.0%) bound to the PALTAVETG or PALTAAETG epitopes. Altogether, PALTAV/AETG-initiated MGUS are not rare and few seem to evolve toward myeloma.

Major antigen and paramyosin proteins as candidate biomarkers for serodiagnosis of canine infection by zoonotic Onchocerca lupi

Latrofa, Maria Stefania; Palmisano, Giuseppe; Annoscia, Giada; Pierri, Ciro Leonardo; Chandrashekar, Ramaswamy; Otranto, Domenico
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Feb 2021
Onchocerca lupi (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) is a filarial worm parasitizing domestic carnivores and humans. Adult nematodes usually localize beneath in the sclera or in the ocular retrobulbar of infected animals, whilst microfilariae are found in the skin. Therefore, diagnosis of O. lupi is achieved by microscopic and/or molecular detection of microfilariae from skin biopsy and/or surgical removal of adults from ocular tissues of infected hosts. An urgent non-invasive diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of O. lupi in dog is mandatory. In this study, an immunoproteomic analyses was performed using a combination of immunoblotting and mass spectrometry techniques. Onchocerca lupi major antigen (Ol-MJA) and paramyosin (Ol-PARA) proteins were identified as potential biomarkers for serodiagnosis. Linear epitopes were herein scanned for both proteins using high-density peptide microarray. Sera collected from dog infected with O. lupi and healthy animal controls led to the identification of 11 immunodominant antigenic peptides (n = 7 for Ol-MJA; n = 4 for Ol-PARA). These peptides were validated using sera of dogs uniquely infected with the most important filarioids infesting dogs either zoonotic (Dirofilaria repens, Dirofilaria immitis) or not (Acanthocheilonema reconditum and Cercopithifilaria bainae). Overall, six antigenic peptides, three for Ol-MJA and for Ol-PARA, respectively, were selected as potential antigens for the serological detection of canine O. lupi infection. The molecular and proteomic dataset herein reported should provide a useful resource for studies on O. lupi toward supporting the development of new interventions (drugs, vaccines and diagnostics) against canine onchocercosis.

SARS-CoV-2 epitope mapping on microarrays highlights strong immune-response to N protein region

Musicò, Angelo; Frigerio, Roberto; Mussida, Alessandro; Barzon, Luisa; Sinigaglia, Alessandro; Riccetti, Silvia; Gobbi, Federico; Piubelli, Chiara; Bergamaschi, Greta; Chiari, Marcella; Gori, Alessandro; Cretich, Marina

Abstract

A workflow for SARS-CoV-2 epitope discovery on peptide microarrays is herein reported. The process started with a proteome-wide screening of immunoreactivity based on the use of a high-density microarray followed by a refinement and validation phase on a restricted panel of probes using microarrays with tailored peptide immobilization through a click-based strategy. Progressively larger, independent cohorts of Covid-19 positive sera were tested in the refinement processes, leading to the identification of immunodominant regions on SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S), Nucleocapsid (N) protein and Orf1ab polyprotein. A summary study testing 50 serum samples highlighted an epitope of the N protein (region 155-171) providing 92% sensitivity and 100% specificity of IgG detection in Covid-19 samples thus being a promising candidate for rapid implementation in serological tests.

Generation of Chicken IgY against SARS-COV-2 Spike Protein and Epitope Mapping

Lu, Yan; Wang, Yajun; Zhang, Zhen; Huang, Jingliang; Yao, Meicun; Huang, Guobin; Ge, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Peichun; Huang, Huaxin; Wang, Yong; Li, Huiliang; Wang, Wen
Oct 2020
This new decade has started with a global pandemic of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), precipitating a worldwide health crisis and economic downturn. Scientists and clinicians have been racing against time to find therapies for COVID-19. Repurposing approved drugs, developing vaccines and employing passive immunization are three major therapeutic approaches to fighting COVID-19. Chicken immunoglobulin Y (IgY) has the potential to be used as neutralizing antibody against respiratory infections, and its advantages include high avidity, low risk of adverse immune responses, and easy local delivery by intranasal administration. In this study, we raised antibody against the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 in chickens and extracted IgY (called IgY-S) from egg yolk. IgY-S exhibited high immunoreactivity against SARS-CoV-2 S, and by epitope mapping, we found five linear epitopes of IgY-S in SARS-CoV-2 S, two of which are cross-reactive with SARS-CoV S. Notably, epitope SIIAYTMSL, one of the identified epitopes, partially overlaps the S1/S2 cleavage region in SARS-CoV-2 S and is located on the surface of S trimer in 3D structure, close to the S1/S2 cleavage site. Thus, antibody binding at this location could physically block the access of proteolytic enzymes to S1/S2 cleavage site and thereby impede S1/S2 proteolytic cleavage, which is crucial to subsequent virus-cell membrane fusion and viral cell entry. Therefore, the feasibility of using IgY-S or epitope SIIAYTMS-specific IgY as neutralizing antibody for preventing or treating SARS-CoV-2 infection is worth exploring.

Detection of specific IgE against linear epitopes from Gal d 1 has additional value in diagnosing hen’s egg allergy in adults

Ehlers, Anna M.; Otten, Henny G.; Wierzba, Eva; Flügge, Ulrike; Le, Thuy-My; Knulst, André C.; Suer, Waltraud
Background Although hen’s egg allergy is more prevalent in children, up to 0.6% of adults from different European countries suffers from a persistent or newly-onset hen’s egg allergy, making accurate diagnosis in adults necessary. However, sensitisation to hen’s egg extracts, components and linear epitopes are solely studied in children. Methods Hen’s egg allergic (n=16) and tolerant (n=20) adults were selected by sensitisation towards recombinant components rGal d 1 and/or 3. Sensitisation profiles towards egg white and yolk extract and the native components Gal d 1, 2, 3 and 4 were respectively evaluated with the ImmunoCAP or the EUROLINE system. Characterisation of linear epitopes was performed with a peptide microarray containing 15mer peptides representing the entire sequence of mature Gal d 1 and 3. Results Overall, sIgE titres against hen’s egg extracts and single components overlapped largely between allergic and tolerant adults. Although the median sIgE/sIgG4 ratio to Gal d 1 was increased in allergic adults, the range was comparable between both groups. Clinically relevant sensitisation to Gal d 1 was confirmed by sIgE-binding to the linear epitopes aa30-41, aa39-50 or aa84-95 in 6/13 allergic adults, mainly suffering from objective symptoms. In comparison, these epitopes were recognized by 1/15 tolerant patient. Only a few linear epitopes were detected for Gal d 3, suggesting a greater importance of conformational epitopes for the recognition of Gal d 3. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance Specific IgE-binding to linear epitopes of Gal d 1 is highly specific in identifying hen’s egg allergic adults with objective symptoms.

Rapid response to pandemic threats: immunogenic epitope detection of pandemic pathogens for diagnostics and vaccine development using peptide microarrays

Heiss, Kirsten; Heidepriem, Jasmin; Fischer, Nico; Weber, Laura K; Dahlke, Christine; Jaenisch, Thomas; Loeffler, Felix F
J. Proteome Res..
Sep 2020
Emergence and re-emergence of pathogens bearing the risk of becoming a pandemic threat are on the rise. Increased travel and trade, growing population density, changes in urbanization, and climate have a critical impact on infectious disease spread. Currently, the world is confronted with the emergence of a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, responsible for yet more than 500 000 deaths globally. Outbreaks caused by viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, HIV, Ebola, influenza, and Zika have increased over the last decade, underlining the urgent need for a rapid development of diagnostics and vaccines. Hence, the rational identification of biomarkers for diagnostic measures on the one hand, and antigenic targets for vaccine development on the other, are of utmost importance. Peptide microarrays can display large numbers of putative target proteins translated into overlapping linear (and cyclic) peptides. Using these highly diverse libraries, covering tens of thousands of peptides, allow for the in-depth analysis of antibody signatures in a multiplexed, high-throughput fashion. In this review, we highlight synthesis platforms that facilitate fast and highly flexible generation of high-density peptide microarrays. We further outline the multifaceted applications of these peptide array platforms for the development of serological tests and vaccines, to quickly encounter pandemic threats.

Expression of different L1 isoforms of Mastomys natalensis papillomavirus as mechanism to circumvent adaptive immunity

Fu, Yingying; Cao, Rui; Schäfer, Miriam; Stephan, Sonja; Braspenning-Wesch, Ilona; Schmitt, Laura; Bischoff, Ralf; Müller, Martin; Schäfer, Kai; Vinzón, Sabrina E; Rösl, Frank; Hasche, Daniel
Although many high-risk mucosal and cutaneous human papillomaviruses (HPVs) theoretically have the potential to synthesize L1 isoforms differing in length, previous seroepidemiological studies only focused on the short L1 variants, co-assembling with L2 to infectious virions. Using the multimammate mouse Mastomys coucha as preclinical model, this is the first study demonstrating seroconversion against different L1 isoforms during the natural course of papillomavirus infection. Intriguingly, positivity with the cutaneous MnPV was accompanied by a strong seroresponse against a longer L1 isoform, but to our surprise, the raised antibodies were non-neutralizing. Only after a delay of around 4 months, protecting antibodies against the short L1 appeared, enabling the virus to successfully establish an infection. This argues for a novel humoral immune escape mechanism that may also have important implications on the interpretation of epidemiological data in terms of seropositivity and protection of PV infections in general.

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