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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.

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
PLoS ONE.
Jan 2022
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 Ninety-five articles from 103 studies were included in the final data charting process. The majority (92. 0%) of the articles were published during 2010–2020 and were mostly from Europe (44.2%) and North America (34.7%). The findings were from the investigation of viral (45.6%), bacterial (32. 0%), parasitic (23.3%) and fungal (2. 0%) infections. Out of the serological studies, IgG was the most reported antibody type followed by IgM. The largest portion of the studies (77.7%) were related to mapping B-cell linear epitopes, 5.8% were on diagnostics, 5.8% reported on immunosignature characterisation and 8.7% 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.

Analysis of the Immune Response and Identification of Antibody Epitopes Against the Sigma C Protein of Avian Orthoreovirus Following Immunization with Live or Inactivated Vaccines

Dawe, W. H.; Kapczynski, D. R.; Linnemann, E. G.; Gauthiersloan, V. R.; Sellers, H. S.
Avian Diseases.
Jan 2022

Protein microarrays for COVID-19 research: Biomarker discovery, humoral response, and vaccine targets

Acharjee, Arup; Barpanda, Abhilash; Ren, Jing; Yu, Xiaobo
Of all the technological interventions used to probe the COVID-19 biological sample, microarrays have provided unique information about the biology of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the greatest of detail. Protein microarrays are available in various formats such as protein microarray, antibody microarray, and peptide microarrays. These provide an attractive format to study host response against infection, with its straightforward sample preparation strategy and easy result analysis pipelines. Microarray technology either uses antibodies against hundreds of proteins to study host proteins or scans immunogenic peptides of the pathogen in a microarray panel of the pathogen proteome. It can be used to study the humoral immune response against antigenic proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, host proteomic alterations due to the infection. The SARS-CoV-2 peptide array can be used for the accurate detection of antigenic determinants for vaccine design. This chapter summarizes the different types of protein and peptide microarray and their use in COVID-19 biomarker discovery, disease management, vaccine design, etc., for better management of COVID-19.

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.

Ns2b as Marker for Zika Virus Infections

Jaenisch, Thomas; Fischer, Nico; Loeffler, Felix; Sekul, Renate; Stadler, Volker; Marques, Ernesto T. A.; Lucas, Zachariah
Oct 2020
The present invention relates to protein NS2b or fragment(s) thereof as biomarker or diagnostic marker for the diagnosis and/or prognosis of Zika virus infections. The present invention further relates to peptides and cyclic peptides, compositions and arrays and multimer compounds comprising them. The present invention further relates to a method for the diagnosis and/or prognosis of Zika virus infections, comprising the use of protein NS2b or fragment(s) thereof, or of the peptides, cyclic peptides, compositions and/or arrays in immunoassays. The present invention further relates to peptide-based compounds comprising at least one fragment of protein NS2b and at least one further component and to methods for the diagnosis and/or prognosis of Zika virus infections.

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.

Molecular and Serological Tests for COVID-19. A Comparative Review of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Laboratory and Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Kubina, Robert; Dziedzic, Arkadiusz
Validated and accurate laboratory testing for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a crucial part of the timely management of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease, supporting the clinical decision-making process for infection control at the healthcare level and detecting asymptomatic cases. This would facilitate an appropriate treatment, a prompt isolation and consequently deceleration of the pandemic. Various laboratory tests can identify the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 in specimens, or specific anti-viral antibodies in blood/serum. Due to the current pandemic situation, a development of point-of-care diagnostics (POCD) allows us to substantially accelerate taking clinical decisions and implement strategic planning at the national level of preventative measures. This review summarizes and compares the available POCD and those currently under development, including quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), serology immunoassays (SIAs) and protein microarray method (PMM) designed for standard and rapid COVID-19 diagnosis.

A cross-reactive mouse monoclonal antibody against rhinovirus mediates phagocytosis in vitro

Behzadi, Mohammad Amin; Choi, Angela; Duehr, James; Feyznezhad, Roya; Upadhyay, Chitra; Schotsaert, Michael; Palese, Peter; Nachbagauer, Raffael
Sci Rep.
Jun 2020
Rhinoviruses (RVs) are the main cause of the common cold worldwide. To date, more than 160 types of the virus have been recognized, categorized into three major species – A, B, and C. There are currently no approved vaccines available to prevent infection with RVs. To elicit antibodies against conserved regions located on capsid proteins of RV A viruses, mice were sequentially vaccinated with DNA plasmids encoding capsid proteins of different RV A types. After a final boost with whole virus, antibody-expressing hybridomas were generated. After isotyping, 11 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) expressing an IgG subtype Fc-domain were selected for further expansion and purification. Three mAbs showed cross-reactivity against multiple strains of RV A viruses by ELISA, including strains A1A, A1B, A15, A16 and A49. Other mAbs had strain-specific binding patterns, with the majority of mAbs showing reactivity to RV-A15, the strain used for the final vaccination. We found that the RV-A15-specific mAbs, but not the cross-reactive mAbs, had neutralizing activity against RV-A15. An antibody dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) assay revealed substantial ADCP activity for one of the cross-reactive mAbs. Epitope mapping of the neutralizing mAbs via escape mutant virus generation revealed a shared binding epitope on VP1 of RV-A15 for several neutralizing mAbs. The epitope of the ADCP-active, non-neutralizing mAb was determined by microarray analysis of peptides generated from the VP1 capsid protein. VP1-specific, cross-reactive antibodies, especially those with ADCP activity, could contribute to protection against RV infections.

Epitopes of Naturally Acquired and Vaccine‐induced Anti‐Ebola Virus Glycoprotein Antibodies in Single Amino Acid Resolution

Heidepriem, Jasmin; Krähling, Verena; Dahlke, Christine; Wolf, Timo; Klein, Florian; Addo, Marylyn M.; Becker, Stephan; Loeffler, Felix F.
Biotechnol. J..
May 2020
The Ebola virus (EBOV) can cause severe infections in humans, leading to a fatal outcome in a high percentage of cases. Neutralizing antibodies against the EBOV surface glycoprotein (GP) can prevent infections, demonstrating a straightforward way for an efficient vaccination strategy. Meanwhile, many different anti-EBOV antibodies have been identified, whereas the exact binding epitopes are often unknown. Here, the analysis of serum samples from an EBOV vaccine trial with the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-Zaire ebolavirus (rVSV-ZEBOV) and an Ebola virus disease survivor, using high-density peptide arrays, is presented. In this proof-of-principle study, distinct IgG and IgM antibodies binding to different epitopes of EBOV GP is detected: By mapping the whole GP as overlapping peptide fragments, new epitopes and confirmed epitopes from the literature are found. Furthermore, the highly selective binding epitope of a neutralizing monoclonal anti-EBOV GP antibody could be validated. This shows that peptide arrays can be a valuable tool to study the humoral immune response to vaccines in patients and to support Ebola vaccine development.

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