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

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.

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.

Immunity to Influenza is dependent on MHC II polymorphism: study with 2 HLA transgenic strains

Luckey, David; Weaver, Eric A.; Osborne, Douglas G.; Billadeau, Daniel D.; Taneja, Veena
Sci Rep.
Dec 2019
Major histocompatibility complex II (MHC II) molecules are involved in antigen presentation and the development of a functional adaptive immune response. Evolutionary selection for MHC molecules that effectively clear infectious agents provides an advantage to humans. However, certain class II molecules are associated with autoimmune diseases. In this study we infected autoimmune-susceptible DRB1*0401.AEo and non-susceptible *0402.AEo mice with H1N1 influenza and determined clearance and protective immunity to H3N2 virus. *0401 mice generated a robust TLR-triggered immune response and cleared H1N1 influenza virus infection. After vaccination and challenge with H1N1, *0401 mice, when challenged with H3N2, generated cross-protective immunity to heterosubtypic H3N2 influenza strain whereas *0402 mice cleared the H1N1 infection but did not generate cross-protective immunity against the H3N2 influenza strain. The intracellular trafficking route of MHCII revealed that *0401 molecules traffic through the late endosome/lysosomes while *0402 molecules traffic into early endosomes. This suggested that trafficking of MHCII could affect the functional output of the innate immune response and clearance of viral infections. Also, DRB1*0401 mice live longer than HLA-DRB1*0402 mice. The study provides a potential hypothesis for evolutionary selection of *0401 molecule, even though it is associated with autoreactivity, which may be dependent on the availability of peptide repertoire of self-antigens.

Analysis of humoral immune responses in chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infected patients and individuals vaccinated with a candidate CHIKV vaccine

Henss, Lisa; Yue, Constanze; von Rhein, Christine; Tschismarov, Roland; Lewis-Ximenez, Lia Laura; Dölle, Albert; Baylis, Sally A; Schnierle, Barbara S
Abstract Background Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes severe flu like symptoms. The acute symptoms disappear after one week, but chronic arthralgia can persist for years. Here, humoral immune responses in CHIKV-infected patients and vaccinees were analyzed. Methods Alphavirus neutralization activity was analyzed with pseudotyped lentiviral vectors and antibody epitope mapping was performed with a peptide array. Results Greatest CHIKV neutralization activity was observed 60-92 days after onset of symptoms. The amount of CHIKV-specific antibodies, their binding avidity and cross-reactivity with other alphaviruses increased over time. CHIKV and o’nyong-nyong virus (ONNV) were both neutralized to a similar extent. Linear antibody binding epitopes were mainly found in E2 domain B and the acid-sensitive regions (ASRs). In addition, serum samples from healthy volunteers vaccinated with a measles-vectored chikungunya vaccine candidate, MV-CHIK, were analyzed. Neutralization activity in the samples from the vaccine cohort was 2–6-fold lower than in samples from CHIKV-infected patients. In contrast to infection, vaccination only induced cross-neutralization with ONNV and the E2 ASR1 was the major antibody target. Conclusion These data could assist vaccine design and enable the identification of correlates of protection necessary for vaccine efficacy.

Diagnostic Profiling of the Human Public IgM Repertoire With Scalable Mimotope Libraries

Pashov, Anastas; Shivarov, Velizar; Hadzhieva, Maya; Kostov, Victor; Ferdinandov, Dilyan; Heintz, Karen-Marie; Pashova, Shina; Todorova, Milena; Vassilev, Tchavdar; Kieber-Emmons, Thomas; Meza-Zepeda, Leonardo A.; Hovig, Eivind
Front. Immunol..
Dec 2019
Specific antibody reactivities are routinely used as biomarkers, but the antibody repertoire reactivity (igome) profiles are still neglected. Here, we propose rationally designed peptide arrays as efficient probes for these system level biomarkers. Most IgM antibodies are characterized by few somatic mutations, polyspecificity, and physiological autoreactivity with housekeeping function. Previously, probing this repertoire with a set of immunodominant self-proteins provided a coarse analysis of the respective repertoire profiles. In contrast, here, we describe the generation of a peptide mimotope library that reflects the common IgM repertoire of 10,000 healthy donors. In addition, an appropriately sized subset of this quasi-complete mimotope library was further designed as a potential diagnostic tool. A 7-mer random peptide phage display library was panned on pooled human IgM. Next-generation sequencing of the selected phage yielded 224,087 sequences, which clustered in 790 sequence clusters. A set of 594 mimotopes, representative of the most significant sequence clusters, was shown to probe symmetrically the space of IgM reactivities in patients’ sera. This set of mimotopes can be easily scaled including a greater proportion of the mimotope library. The trade-off between the array size and the resolution can be explored while preserving the symmetric sampling of the mimotope sequence and reactivity spaces. BLAST search of the non-redundant protein database with the mimotopes sequences yielded significantly more immunoglobulin J region hits than random peptides, indicating a considerable idiotypic connectivity of the targeted igome. The proof of principle predictors for random diagnoses was represented by profiles of mimotopes. The number of potential reactivity profiles that can be extracted from this library is estimated at more than 1070. Thus, a quasi-complete IgM mimotope library and a scalable representative subset thereof are found to address very efficiently the dynamic diversity of the human public IgM repertoire, providing informationally dense and structurally interpretable IgM reactivity profiles.

A Low‐Cost Laser‐Based Nano‐3D Polymer Printer for Rapid Surface Patterning and Chemical Synthesis of Peptide and Glycan Microarrays

Eickelmann, Stephan; Tsouka, Alexandra; Heidepriem, Jasmin; Paris, Grigori; Zhang, Junfang; Molinari, Valerio; Mende, Marco; Loeffler, Felix F.
Adv. Mater. Technol..
Nov 2019
A low-cost laser-based printing setup is presented, which allows for the spot-wise patterning of surfaces with defined polymer nanolayers. These nanolayer spots serve as a “solid solvent,” embedding different chemicals, chemical building blocks, materials, or precursors and can be stacked on top of each other. By melting the spot pattern, the polymer-embedded molecules are released for chemical reaction. This enables researchers to quickly pattern a surface with different molecules and materials, mixing them directly on the surface for high-throughput chemical synthesis to generate and screen diverse microarray libraries. In contrast to expensive ink-jet or contact printing, this approach does not require premixing of inks, which enables in situ combinatorial mixing. Easy access and versatility of this patterning approach are shown by generating microarrays of various biomolecules, such as glycans for the first time, to screen interactions of antibodies and lectins. In addition, a layer-by-layer solid-phase synthesis of peptides directly on the microarray is presented. Amino acid–containing nanolayers are repeatedly laser-transferred and reacted with the functionalized acceptor surface in defined patterns. This simple system enables a reproducible array production, down to spot-to-spot distances of 100 µm, and offers a flexible and cheap alternative to expensive spotting robot technology.

Immunization of mice with chimeric antigens displaying selected epitopes confers protection against intestinal colonization and renal damage caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli

Montero, David A.; Del Canto, Felipe; Salazar, Juan C.; Cespedes, Sandra; Cádiz, Leandro; Arenas-Salinas, Mauricio; Reyes, José; Oñate, Ángel; Vidal, Roberto M.
Sep 2019
Abstract Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cause diarrhea and dysentery, which may progress to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Vaccination has been proposed as a preventive approach against STEC infection; however, there is no vaccine for humans and those used in animals reduce but do not eliminate the intestinal colonization of STEC. The OmpT, Cah and Hes proteins are widely distributed among clinical STEC strains and are recognized by serum IgG and IgA in patients with HUS. Here, we develop a vaccine formulation based on two chimeric antigens containing epitopes of OmpT, Cah and Hes proteins against STEC strains. Intramuscular and intranasal immunization of mice with these chimeric antigens elicited systemic and local long-lasting humoral responses. However, the class of antibodies generated was dependent on the adjuvant and the route of administration. Moreover, while intramuscular immunization with the combination of the chimeric antigens conferred protection against colonization by STEC O157:H7 and the intranasal conferred protection against renal damage caused by STEC O91:H21. This pre-clinical study supports the potential use of this formulation based on recombinant chimeric proteins as a preventive strategy against STEC infections.

A Monoclonal Antibody to M-Phase Phosphoprotein 1/Kinesin-Like Protein KIF20B

Fritzler, Marvin J.; Brown, Rachael D.; Zhang, Meifeng
Monoclonal Antibodies in Immunodiagnosis and Immunotherapy.
Aug 2019
Kinesin-like protein KIF20B, originally named M-phase phosphoprotein 1 (MPP1), is a plus-end-directed kinesin-related protein that exhibits in vitro microtubule-binding and -bundling properties as well as microtubule-stimulated ATPase activity. It has been characterized as a slow molecular motor that moves toward the plus-end of microtubules. Human autoantibodies directed against KIF20B have been described in up to 25% of patients with idiopathic ataxia and less commonly in other neuropathies and autoinflammatory conditions. One of the limitations of research into the structure and function of KIF20B has been a reliable monoclonal antibody that can be used in a variety of applications. To establish a reference standard for anti-KIF20B immunoassays and facilitate studies on the role of KIF20B in developmental cell biology, we developed an IgG1 monoclonal antibody, 10C7, which reacts with the cognate KIF20B protein in Western immunoblots and in addressable laser bead immunoassays. In HEp2 cells, leptomeningeal pericytes, and transfected HEK293T cells, indirect immunofluorescence studies showed that reactivity was mainly localized to a proportion of interphase nuclei, but during metaphase, it was redistributed throughout the cytoplasm and perichromatin mass. Later in telophase/anaphase, KIF20B was localized to the stem body and midzone of the midbody. 10C7 also showed remarkable staining of a subset of cells in the cerebellum, ovary, and testis tissues. KIF20B was shown to have extensive coiled-coil domains. The monoclonal antibody, 10C7, will be of value to diagnostic laboratory scientists interested in having a reliable reference standard for anti-KIF20B immunoassays as well as cell, molecular, and developmental biology researchers.

Genomics-Driven Immunoproteomics: An Integrative Platform to Uncover Important Biomarkers for Human Diseases

Giri, Raghavendra; Qendro, Veneta; Rani, Pooja; Jepchumba, Carren; Bugos, Grace; Stadler, Volker; Han, David K.
Genomics-driven immunoproteomics (GDI) is a platform that helps identify antigenic protein targets of mutations and other deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) variations that are commonly associated with pathological states. This platform utilizes data generated from deep sequencing of exomic DNA or ribonucleic acid (RNA) as input to synthesize mutant peptides into microarrays, which then can be used to detect antigenic proteins that invoke immune response in patients. The technology has been used to detect antigenic targets of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease [1], and cancer to identify mutant proteins that invoke immune response in breast cancer patients [2]. This technology has many potential applications to select genomic changes that are specifically recognized by the immune system in a rapid and efficient manner.

Immunization of cats to induce neutralizing antibodies against Fel d 1, the major feline allergen in human subjects

Thoms, Franziska; Jennings, Gary T.; Maudrich, Melanie; Vogel, Monique; Haas, Stefanie; Zeltins, Andris; Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina; Riond, Barbara; Grossmann, Jonas; Hunziker, Peter; Fettelschoss-Gabriel, Antonia; Senti, Gabriela; Kündig, Thomas M.; Bachmann, Martin F.
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Jul 2019
Background Cat allergy in human subjects is usually caused by the major cat allergen Fel d 1 and is found in approximately 10% of the Western population. Currently, there is no efficient and safe therapy for cat allergy available. Allergic patients usually try to avoid cats or treat their allergy symptoms. Objective We developed a new strategy to treat Fel d 1–induced allergy in human subjects by immunizing cats against their own major allergen, Fel d 1. Methods A conjugate vaccine consisting of recombinant Fel d 1 and a virus-like particle derived from the cucumber mosaic virus containing the tetanus toxin–derived universal T-cell epitope tt830-843 (CuMVTT) was used to immunize cats. A first tolerability and immunogenicity study, including a boost injection, was conducted by using the Fel-CuMVTT vaccine alone or in combination with an adjuvant. Results The vaccine was well tolerated and had no overt toxic effect. All cats induced a strong and sustained specific IgG antibody response. The induced anti–Fel d 1 antibodies were of high affinity and exhibited a strong neutralization ability tested both in vitro and in vivo. A reduction in the endogenous allergen level and a reduced allergenicity of tear samples, were observed. Conclusion Vaccination of cats with Fel-CuMVTT induces neutralizing antibodies and might result in reduced symptoms of allergic cat owners. Both human subjects and animals could profit from this treatment because allergic cat owners would reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases, such as asthma, and become more tolerant of their cats, which therefore could stay in the households and not need to be relinquished to animal shelters.

Miniaturized and Automated Synthesis of Biomolecules—Overview and Perspectives

Mattes, Daniela S.; Jung, Nicole; Weber, Laura K.; Bräse, Stefan; Breitling, Frank
Adv. Mater..
Jun 2019
Chemical synthesis is performed by reacting different chemical building blocks with defined stoichiometry, while meeting additional conditions, such as temperature and reaction time. Such a procedure is especially suited for automation and miniaturization. Life sciences lead the way to synthesizing millions of different oligonucleotides in extremely miniaturized reaction sites, e.g., pinpointing active genes in whole genomes, while chemistry advances different types of automation. Recent progress in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) imaging could match miniaturized chemical synthesis with a powerful analytical tool to validate the outcome of many different synthesis pathways beyond applications in the life sciences. Thereby, due to the radical miniaturization of chemical synthesis, thousands of molecules can be synthesized. This in turn should allow ambitious research, e.g., finding novel synthesis routes or directly screening for photocatalysts. Herein, different technologies are discussed that might be involved in this endeavor. A special emphasis is given to the obstacles that need to be tackled when depositing tiny amounts of materials to many different extremely miniaturized reaction sites.

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