Home » Publications » Page 2

Publications

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

Inhibition of lung microbiota-derived proapoptotic peptides ameliorates acute exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis

D’Alessandro-Gabazza, Corina N.; Yasuma, Taro; Kobayashi, Tetsu; Toda, Masaaki; Abdel-Hamid, Ahmed M.; Fujimoto, Hajime; Hataji, Osamu; Nakahara, Hiroki; Takeshita, Atsuro; Nishihama, Kota; Okano, Tomohito; Saiki, Haruko; Okano, Yuko; Tomaru, Atsushi; Fridman D’Alessandro, Valeria; Shiraishi, Miyako; Mizoguchi, Akira; Ono, Ryoichi; Ohtsuka, Junpei; Fukumura, Masayuki; Nosaka, Tetsuya; Mi, Xuenan; Shukla, Diwakar; Kataoka, Kensuke; Kondoh, Yasuhiro; Hirose, Masaki; Arai, Toru; Inoue, Yoshikazu; Yano, Yutaka; Mackie, Roderick I.; Cann, Isaac; Gabazza, Esteban C.
Nat Commun.
Mar 2022
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is an incurable disease of unknown etiology. Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is associated with high mortality. Excessive apoptosis of lung epithelial cells occurs in pulmonary fibrosis acute exacerbation. We recently identified corisin, a proapoptotic peptide that triggers acute exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis. Here, we provide insights into the mechanism underlying the processing and release of corisin. Furthermore, we demonstrate that an anticorisin monoclonal antibody ameliorates lung fibrosis by significantly inhibiting acute exacerbation in the human transforming growth factorβ1 model and acute lung injury in the bleomycin model. By investigating the impact of the anticorisin monoclonal antibody in a general model of acute lung injury, we further unravel the potential of corisin to impact such diseases. These results underscore the role of corisin in the pathogenesis of acute exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis and acute lung injury and provide a novel approach to treating this incurable disease.

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

A Quantum Vaccinomics Approach Based on Protein–Protein Interactions

Contreras, Marinela; Artigas-Jerónimo, Sara; Pastor Comín, Juan J.; de la Fuente, José
Vaccines are the most effective preventive intervention to reduce the impact of infectious diseases worldwide. In particular, tick-borne diseases represent a growing burden for human and animal health worldwide and vaccines are the most effective and environmentally sound approach for the control of vector infestations and pathogen transmission. However, the development of effective vaccines for the control of tick-borne diseases with combined vector-derived and pathogen-derived antigens is one of the limitations for the development of effective vaccine formulations. Quantum biology arise from findings suggesting that living cells operate under non-trivial features of quantum mechanics, which has been proposed to be involved in DNA mutation biological process. Then, the electronic structure of the molecular interactions behind peptide immunogenicity led to quantum immunology and based on the definition of the photon as a quantum of light, the immune protective epitopes were proposed as the immunological quantum. Recently, a quantum vaccinomics approach was proposed based on the characterization of the immunological quantum to further advance the design of more effective and safe vaccines. In this chapter, we describe methods of the quantum vaccinomics approach based on proteins with key functions in cell interactome and regulome of vector–host–pathogen interactions for the identification by yeast two-hybrid screen and the characterization by in vitro protein–protein interactions and musical scores of protein interacting domains, and the characterization of conserved protective epitopes in protein interacting domains. These results can then be used for the design and production of chimeric protective antigens.

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.

Induced Polyspecificity of Human Secretory Immunoglobulin A Antibodies: Is It Possible to Improve Their Ability to Bind Pathogens?

Gorshkova, Ekaterina N.; Pashova, Shina; Vasilenko, Ekaterina A.; Tchurina, Tatiana S.; Razzorenova, Elizaveta A.; Starkina, Olga V.; Dimitrova, Petya; Pashov, Anastas; Vassilev, Tchavdar Lubenov
Pharmacology.
Dec 2021
Introduction: As has been shown previously, various protein-modifying agents can change the antigen-binding properties of immunoglobulins. However, induced polyspecificity of human secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) has not been previously characterized in detail. Methods: In the present study, human secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) was exposed to buffers with acidic pH, to free heme, or to pro-oxidative ferrous ions, and the antigen-binding behavior of the native and modified IgA to viral and bacterial antigens was compared using Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The ability of these agents to modulate the antigen-binding properties of human sIgA toward a wide range of pathogen peptides was investigated using an epitope microarray. Results: We have shown that acidic pH, heme, and pro-oxidative ferrous ions influenced the binding of secretory IgA in opposite directions (either increasing or decreasing); however, the strongest effect was observed when using buffers with low pH. This fraction had the highest number of affected reactivities; most of them were increased and most of the new ones were toward common pathogens. Conclusions: Thus, it was shown that all investigated treatments can alter to some degree the antigen-binding of secretory IgA, but acidic pH has the most potentially beneficial effect by increasing binding to a largest number of common pathogens’ antigens.

Influenza‐associated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: A report of two cases and a brief review of the literature

Onkarappa Mangala, Yashvin; Sweeney, Joseph D.
Vox Sanguinis.
Nov 2021
Background and Objectives Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is often preceded by a recent history of an acute infection and influenza is the most implicated virus. Materials and Methods We identified two cases of TTP, which were preceded by influenza between 2010 and 2021. In one patient, we epitope mapped the binding specificity of antibodies using an overlapping peptide approach of the stalk protein of Influenza B and the cysteine-rich spacer domain (CRSD) of ADAMTS13. A literature search was performed for reports of influenza-associated TTP over the period 1980–2021. Results Two patients were identified in which TTP was preceded by influenza, one Influenza A and the other Influenza B. Epitope mapping of the latter’s plasma identified target epitopes in both the stalk protein of Influenza B and CRSD of ADAMTS13. The literature review revealed only seven case reports, all but one from Europe or Asia and associated with Influenza A. Severe ADAMTS13 deficiency was demonstrated in only four cases. Conclusion We report the first small case series of influenza-associated TTP. Moreover, it is the first case implicating Influenza B and a mechanism favouring polyclonal B-cell proliferation rather than molecular mimicry as the stimulus to form anti-ADAMTS13 auto-antibodies is suggested.

A high-throughput pipeline for design and selection of peptides targeting the SARS-Cov-2 Spike protein

Wolfe, Monica; Webb, Sean; Chushak, Yaroslav; Krabacher, Rachel; Liu, Yi; Swami, Nathan; Harbaugh, Svetlana; Chávez, Jorge
Sci Rep.
Nov 2021
Rapid design, screening, and characterization of biorecognition elements (BREs) is essential for the development of diagnostic tests and antiviral therapeutics needed to combat the spread of viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To address this need, we developed a high-throughput pipeline combining in silico design of a peptide library specific for SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and microarray screening to identify binding sequences. Our optimized microarray platform allowed the simultaneous screening of ~ 2.5 k peptides and rapid identification of binding sequences resulting in selection of four peptides with nanomolar affinity to the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. Finally, we demonstrated the successful integration of one of the top peptides into an electrochemical sensor with a clinically relevant limit of detection for S protein in spiked saliva. Our results demonstrate the utility of this novel pipeline for the selection of peptide BREs in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and the broader application of such a platform in response to future viral threats.

Location and expression kinetics of Tc24 in different life stages of Trypanosoma cruzi

Versteeg, Leroy; Adhikari, Rakesh; Poveda, Cristina; Villar-Mondragon, Maria Jose; Jones, Kathryn M.; Hotez, Peter J.; Bottazzi, Maria Elena; Tijhaar, Edwin; Pollet, Jeroen
PLoS Negl Trop Dis.
Sep 2021
Tc24-C4, a modified recombinant flagellar calcium-binding protein of Trypanosoma cruzi, is under development as a therapeutic subunit vaccine candidate to prevent or delay progression of chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy. When combined with Toll-like receptor agonists, Tc24-C4 immunization reduces parasitemia, parasites in cardiac tissue, and cardiac fibrosis and inflammation in animal models. To support further research on the vaccine candidate and its mechanism of action, murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against Tc24-C4 were generated. Here, we report new findings made with mAb Tc24-C4/884 that detects Tc24-WT and Tc24-C4, as well as native Tc24 in T. cruzi on ELISA, western blots, and different imaging techniques. Surprisingly, detection of Tc24 by Tc24-C/884 in fixed T. cruzi trypomastigotes required permeabilization of the parasite, revealing that Tc24 is not exposed on the surface of T. cruzi, making a direct role of antibodies in the induced protection after Tc24-C4 immunization less likely. We further observed that after immunostaining T. cruzi–infected cells with mAb Tc24-C4/884, the expression of Tc24 decreases significantly when T. cruzi trypomastigotes enter host cells and transform into amastigotes. However, Tc24 is then upregulated in association with parasite flagellar growth linked to re-transformation into the trypomastigote form, prior to host cellular escape. These observations are discussed in the context of potential mechanisms of vaccine immunity.

Identification of a Zika NS2B epitope as a biomarker for severe clinical phenotypes

Loeffler, Felix F.; Viana, Isabelle F. T.; Fischer, Nico; Coêlho, Danilo F.; Silva, Carolina S.; Purificação, Antônio F.; Araújo, Catarina M. C. S.; Leite, Bruno H. S.; Durães-Carvalho, Ricardo; Magalhães, Tereza; Morais, Clarice N. L.; Cordeiro, Marli T.; Lins, Roberto D.; Marques, Ernesto T. A.; Jaenisch, Thomas
RSC Med. Chem..
Jul 2021
The identification of specific biomarkers for Zika infection and its clinical complications is fundamental to mitigate the infection spread, which has been associated with a broad range of neurological sequelae. , The identification of specific biomarkers for Zika infection and its clinical complications is fundamental to mitigate the infection spread, which has been associated with a broad range of neurological sequelae. We present the characterization of antibody responses in serum samples from individuals infected with Zika, presenting non-severe (classical) and severe (neurological disease) phenotypes, with high-density peptide arrays comprising the Zika NS1 and NS2B proteins. The data pinpoints one strongly IgG-targeted NS2B epitope in non-severe infections, which is absent in Zika patients, where infection progressed to the severe phenotype. This differential IgG profile between the studied groups was confirmed by multivariate data analysis. Molecular dynamics simulations and circular dichroism have shown that the peptide in solution presents itself in a sub-optimal conformation for antibody recognition, which led us to computationally engineer an artificial protein able to stabilize the NS2B epitope structure. The engineered protein was used to interrogate paired samples from mothers and their babies presenting Zika-associated microcephaly and confirmed the absence of NS2B IgG response in those samples. These findings suggest that the assessment of antibody responses to the herein identified NS2B epitope is a strong candidate biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of Zika-associated neurological disease.

Landscape and selection of vaccine epitopes in SARS-CoV-2

Smith, Christof C.; Olsen, Kelly S.; Gentry, Kaylee M.; Sambade, Maria; Beck, Wolfgang; Garness, Jason; Entwistle, Sarah; Willis, Caryn; Vensko, Steven; Woods, Allison; Fini, Misha; Carpenter, Brandon; Routh, Eric; Kodysh, Julia; O’Donnell, Timothy; Haber, Carsten; Heiss, Kirsten; Stadler, Volker; Garrison, Erik; Sandor, Adam M.; Ting, Jenny P. Y.; Weiss, Jared; Krajewski, Krzysztof; Grant, Oliver C.; Woods, Robert J.; Heise, Mark; Vincent, Benjamin G.; Rubinsteyn, Alex
Genome Medicine.
Jun 2021
Early in the pandemic, we designed a SARS-CoV-2 peptide vaccine containing epitope regions optimized for concurrent B cell, CD4+ T cell, and CD8+ T cell stimulation. The rationale for this design was to drive both humoral and cellular immunity with high specificity while avoiding undesired effects such as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE).

Quote form