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

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Alzheimer’s disease risk associated with changes in Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1-specific epitope targeting antibody levels

Sim, Kyu-Young; An, Jaekyeung; Bae, So-Eun; Yang, Taewoo; Ko, Gwang-Hoon; Hwang, Jeong-Ryul; Choi, Kyu Yeong; Park, Jung Eun; Lee, Jung Sup; Kim, Byeong C.; Lee, Kun Ho; Park, Sung-Gyoo
Journal of Infection and Public Health.
Jul 2024
*Background* Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder influenced by age, sex, genetic factors, immune alterations, and infections. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that changes in antibody response are linked to AD pathology. *Methods* To elucidate the mechanisms underlying AD development, we investigated antibodies that target autoimmune epitopes using high-resolution epitope microarrays. Our study compared two groups: individuals with AD (n = 19) and non-demented (ND) controls (n = 19). To validate the results, we measured antibody levels in plasma samples from AD patients (n = 96), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 91), and ND controls (n = 97). To further explore the invlovement of EBV, we performed epitope masking immunofluorescence microscopy analysis and tests to induce lytic replication using the B95–8 cell line. *Results* In this study, we analyzed high-resolution epitope-specific serum antibody levels in AD, revealing significant disparities in antibodies targeting multiple epitopes between the AD and control groups. Particularly noteworthy was the significant down-regulation of antibody (anti-DG#29) targeting an epitope of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1). This down-regulation increased AD risk in female patients (odds ratio up to 6.6), but not in male patients. Our investigation further revealed that the down-regulation of the antibody (anti-DG#29) is associated with EBV reactivation in AD, as indicated by the analysis of EBV VCA IgG or IgM levels. Additionally, our data demonstrated that the epitope region on EBNA1 for the antibody is hidden during the EBV lytic reactivation of B95–8 cells. *Conclusion* Our findings suggest a potential relationship of EBV in the development of AD in female. Moreover, we propose that antibodies targeting the epitope (DG#29) of EBNA1 could serve as valuable indicators of AD risk in female.

Antigen-Heterologous Vaccination Regimen Triggers Alternate Antibody Targeting in SARS-CoV-2-DNA-Vaccinated Mice

Frische, Anders; Krogfelt, Karen Angeliki; Fomsgaard, Anders; Lassaunière, Ria
Vaccines.
Feb 2024
An in-depth analysis of antibody epitopes following vaccination with different regimens provides important insight for developing future vaccine strategies. B-cell epitopes conserved across virus variants may be ideal targets for vaccine-induced antibodies and therapeutic drugs. However, challenges lie in identifying these key antigenic regions, and directing the immune system to target them. We previously evaluated the immunogenicity of two candidate DNA vaccines encoding the unmodified spike protein of either the SARS-CoV-2 Index strain or the Beta variant of concern (VOC). As a follow-on study, we characterized here the antibody binding profiles of three groups of mice immunized with either the DNA vaccine encoding the SARS-CoV-2 Index strain spike protein only, the Beta VOC spike protein only, or a combination of both as an antigen-heterologous prime-boost regimen. The latter induced an antibody response targeting overlapping regions that were observed for the individual vaccines but with additional high levels of antibody directed against epitopes in the SD2 region and the HR2 region. These heterologous-vaccinated animals displayed improved neutralization breadth. We believe that a broad-focused vaccine regimen increases neutralization breadth, and that the in-depth analysis of B-cell epitope targeting used in this study can be applied in future vaccine research.

A quantitative and site-specific atlas of the citrullinome reveals widespread existence of citrullination and insights into PADI4 substrates

Rebak, Alexandra S.; Hendriks, Ivo A.; Elsborg, Jonas D.; Buch-Larsen, Sara C.; Nielsen, Claus H.; Terslev, Lene; Kirsch, Rebecca; Damgaard, Dres; Doncheva, Nadezhda T.; Lennartsson, Caroline; Rykær, Martin; Jensen, Lars J.; Christophorou, Maria A.; Nielsen, Michael L.
Nat Struct Mol Biol.
Feb 2024
Abstract Despite the importance of citrullination in physiology and disease, global identification of citrullinated proteins, and the precise targeted sites, has remained challenging. Here we employed quantitative-mass-spectrometry-based proteomics to generate a comprehensive atlas of citrullination sites within the HL60 leukemia cell line following differentiation into neutrophil-like cells. We identified 14,056 citrullination sites within 4,008 proteins and quantified their regulation upon inhibition of the citrullinating enzyme PADI4. With this resource, we provide quantitative and site-specific information on thousands of PADI4 substrates, including signature histone marks and transcriptional regulators. Additionally, using peptide microarrays, we demonstrate the potential clinical relevance of certain identified sites, through distinct reactivities of antibodies contained in synovial fluid from anti-CCP-positive and anti-CCP-negative people with rheumatoid arthritis. Collectively, we describe the human citrullinome at a systems-wide level, provide a resource for understanding citrullination at the mechanistic level and link the identified targeted sites to rheumatoid arthritis.

ASFV epitope mapping by high density peptides microarrays

Desmet, Cloé; Coelho-Cruz, Bruna; Mehn, Dora; Colpo, Pascal; Ruiz-Moreno, Ana
Virus Research.
Jan 2024
African swine fever (ASF) is an acute, highly contagious and deadly infectious disease. It is a threat to animal health with major potential economic and societal impact. Despite decades of ASF vaccine research, still some gaps in knowledge are hindering the development of a functional vaccine. Worth mentioning are gaps in understanding the mechanism of ASF infection and immunity, as well as the fact that – in case of this disease – virus proteins, so-called protective antigens, responsible for inducing protective immune responses in pigs are not identified yet. In this paper we elaborate on a methodology to identify protective antigens based on epitope mapping by microarray technology. High density peptide microarrays, combined with fluorescence scanning, have been used to analyze the interaction of peptide sequences of African swine fever virus (ASFV) proteins with antibodies present in inactivated serum from infected and healthy animals. The study evidenced ASFV proteins already under the radar for vaccine development, such as p54, and identified specific sequences in those proteins that may become the focus for future vaccine candidates. Such methodology is amenable to automation and high-throughput and may help developing better targeting for next generation vaccines.

Single-Molecule Detection on a Protein-Array Assay Platform for the Exposure of a Tuberculosis Antigen

Schmidt, Ronny; Jacak, Jaroslaw; Schirwitz, Christopher; Stadler, Volker; Michel, Gerd; Marmé, Nicole; Schütz, Gerhard J.; Hoheisel, Jörg D.; Knemeyer, Jens-Peter
J. Proteome Res..
Jan 2011

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