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

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Molecular mimicry, genetic homology, and gene sharing proteomic “molecular fingerprints” using an EBV (Epstein-Barr virus)-derived microarray as a potential diagnostic method in autoimmune disease

Dreyfus, David H.; Farina, Antonella; Farina, Giuseppina Alessandra
Immunol Res.
Dec 2018
10.1007/s12026-018-9045-0
EBV (Epstein-Barr Virus) and other human DNA viruses are associated with autoimmune syndromes in epidemiologic studies. In this work, immunoglobulin G response to EBV-encoded proteins which share regions with human immune response proteins from the human host including ZEBRA (BZLF-1 encoded protein), BALF-2 recombinase expressed primarily during the viral lytic replication cycle, and EBNA-1 (Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen) expressed during the viral latency cycle respectively were characterized using a laser-printed micro-array (PEPperprint.com). IgG response to conserved “A/T hooks” in EBV-encoded proteins such as EBNA-1 and the BALF-2 recombinase related to host DNA-binding proteins including RAG-1 recombinase and histones, and EBV-encoded virokines such as the IL-10 homologue BCRF-1 suggest further directions for clinical research. The author suggests that proteomic “molecular fingerprints” of the immune response to viral proteins shared with human immune response genes are potentially useful in early diagnosis and monitoring of autoantibody production and response to therapy in EBV-related autoimmune syndromes.

Regulatory T-cell deficiency leads to pathogenic bullous pemphigoid antigen 230 autoantibody and autoimmune bullous disease

Haeberle, Stefanie; Wei, Xiaoying; Bieber, Katja; Goletz, Stephanie; Ludwig, Ralf J.; Schmidt, Enno; Enk, Alexander H.; Hadaschik, Eva N.
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Dec 2018
10.1016/j.jaci.2018.04.006
Background Autoimmune bullous diseases/dermatoses (AIBDs) are severe autoantibody-mediated skin diseases. The pathogenic relevance of autoreactive CD4+ T cells for the induction of autoantibody production remains to be fully evaluated. Scurfy mice lack functional regulatory T (Treg) cells, experience spontaneous activation of autoreactive CD4+ T cells, and display severe erosive skin lesions suggestive of AIBDs. Objective We sought to determine whether AIBDs develop in Treg cell–deficient scurfy mice. Methods Histology, indirect immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy, direct IF, and ELISA were used to prove the presence of AIBDs in scurfy mice. Monoclonal autoantibodies from sera of scurfy mice were screened by using indirect IF on murine skin, and immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry were used for target antigen identification, followed by confirmation in modified human embryonic kidney cells and murine keratinocytes. Pathogenicity was determined by injecting the autoantibody into neonatal mice and transferring scurfy CD4+ T cells into nu/nu mice. Results Autoantibodies against different known autoantigens of AIBDs spontaneously develop in scurfy mice. Histology reveals subepidermal blisters, and direct IF of skin of scurfy mice shows a predominant linear staining pattern. The mAb 20B12 shows a linear staining pattern in indirect IF, recognizes the murine hemidesmosomal protein bullous pemphigoid antigen 230 (BP230) as the target antigen, and cross-reacts with human BP230. Purified mAb 20B12 induces subepidermal blisters in neonatal mice. Transfer of scurfy CD4+ T cells is sufficient to induce antibodies with reactivity to AIBD autoantigens and subepidermal blisters in the skin of recipient T cell–deficient nu/nu mice. Conclusion We show that the absence of Treg cells leads to AIBDs by pathogenic autoantibodies targeting BP230.

Soybean Allergy Related Epitopes

Kern, Karolin; Spiegel, Holger; Havenith, Heide; Szardenings, Michael
Nov 2018
The invention relates to a compilation comprising at least five different peptides, each peptide comprising at least one sequence element corresponding to an epitope selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO.: 1-354, wherein at least five different epitopes are represented. The invention further relates to an in vitro method for determining a patient’s immune status to soybean allergens, to a method for detecting at least one soybean allergen in a substance and to a method for determining the allergenicity of a soybean variety. Additionally, the invention relates to a kit comprising at least one composition containing a compound comprising at least five different sequence elements each corresponding to an epitope selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO.: 1-354, wherein at least five different epitopes are represented. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of a peptide comprising a sequence element corresponding to an epitope for providing a molecule binding to a protein or peptide comprising the epitope.

Potential therapeutic antibodies targeting specific adiponectin isoforms in rheumatoid arthritis

Lee, Yeon-Ah; Hahm, Dae-Hyun; Kim, Jung Yeon; Sur, Bonjun; Lee, Hyun Min; Ryu, Chun Jeih; Yang, Hyung-In; Kim, Kyoung Soo
Arthritis Res Ther.
Oct 2018
10.1186/s13075-018-1736-3
Background Different adiponectin isoforms appear to be differentially involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases. The purpose of this study was to generate monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to different adiponectin isoforms and investigate whether these mAbs have potential as therapeutic agents for such diseases. Methods Hybridoma cells producing monoclonal antibodies were generated and screened using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting for the production of mAbs recognizing human adiponectin isoforms. Results The mAb from hybridoma clone KH7–41 recognized both the middle molecular weight (MMW) (hexamer) and low molecular weight (LMW) (trimer) isoforms of adiponectin in human serum, whereas the KH7–33 mAb detected only MMW (hexamer) adiponectin. The KH4–8 clone recognized both the high molecular weight (HMW) (multimer) and MMW adiponectin isoforms. However, in mouse and rat sera, the abovementioned antibodies recognized only the MMW isomer. These mAbs also recognized adiponectin in various human tissues, such as lung, kidney, and adipose tissues, although the three mAbs had different staining intensities. The mAb from clone KH4–8 effectively inhibited increases in interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 expression in recombinant adiponectin-stimulated human osteoblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Also, the mAbs KH7–33 and KH4–8 significantly ameliorated rheumatic symptoms in a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model. This result suggests that these mAb treatments may ameliorate adiponectin-mediated inflammatory response. Conclusions mAbs against human adiponectin isomers can potentially be developed as therapeutic antibodies to target specific detrimental isoforms of adiponectin while maintaining the functions of beneficial isoforms.

The immunome of soy bean allergy: Comprehensive identification and characterization of epitopes

Kern, Karolin; Havenith, Heide; Delaroque, Nicolas; Rautenberger, Paul; Lehmann, Jörg; Fischer, Markus; Spiegel, Holger; Schillberg, Stefan; Ehrentreich-Foerster, Eva; Aurich, Stefanie; Treudler, Regina; Szardenings, Michael
Clin Exp Allergy.
Sep 2018
10.1111/cea.13285
Background The precise mapping of multiple antibody epitopes recognized by patients’ sera allows a more detailed and differentiated understanding of immunological diseases. It may lead to the development of novel therapies and diagnostic tools. Objective Mapping soy bean specific epitopes relevant for soy bean allergy patients and persons sensitized to soy bean, and analysis of their IgE/IgG binding spectrum. Methods Identification of epitopes using sera, applying an optimized peptide phage display library followed by next-generation sequencing, specially designed in silico data analysis and subsequent peptide microarray analysis. Results We were able to identify more than 400 potential epitope motifs in soy bean proteins. More than 60% of them have not yet been described as potential epitopes. Eighty-three peptides, representing the 42 most frequently found epitope candidates, were validated by microarray analysis using 50 sera from people who have been tested positive in skin prick test (SPT). Of these peptides, 56 were bound by antibodies, 55 by serum IgE, 43 by serum IgG and 30 by both. Person-specific epitope patterns were found for each individual and protein. Conclusions For individuals with clinical symptoms, epitope resolved analyses reveal a high prevalence of IgE binding to a few soy bean specific epitopes. Evaluation of individual immune profiles of patients with soy bean sensitization allows the identification of peptides that do facilitate studying individual IgE/IgG epitope binding patterns. This enables discrimination of sensitization from disease, such assay test has the potential to replace SPT assays

An improved assay for the diagnosis of peanut allergy

Suer, Waltraud; Rohwer, Stefanie; BRIX, Bettina; WEIMANN, Alf
Aug 2018
A diagnostically useful carrier has a polypeptide for specifically capturing an antibody to Ara h 7 isotype 7.0201 in a sample from a subject. A method includes detecting in a sample from a subject the presence or absence of an antibody to Ara h 7 isotype 7.0201. A pharmaceutical composition includes Ara h 7 isotype 7.0201 or a variant thereof.

Combinatorial Synthesis of Macromolecular Arrays by Microchannel Cantilever Spotting (µCS)

Atwater, Jordyn; Mattes, Daniela S.; Streit, Bettina; von Bojničić-Kninski, Clemens; Loeffler, Felix F.; Breitling, Frank; Fuchs, Harald; Hirtz, Michael
Adv. Mater..
Aug 2018
10.1002/adma.201801632
Surface-bound microarrays of multiple oligo- and macromolecules (e.g., peptides, DNA) offer versatile options in biomedical applications like drug screening, DNA analysis, or medical diagnostics. Combinatorial syntheses of these molecules in situ can save significant resources in regard to processing time and material use. Furthermore, high feature densities are needed to enable high-throughput and low sample volumes as generally regarded in combinatorial chemistry. Here, a scanning-probe-lithography-based approach for the combinatorial in situ synthesis of macromolecules is presented in microarray format. Feature sizes below 40 µm allow for the creation of high-density arrays with feature densities of 62 500 features per cm2. To demonstrate feasibility of this approach for biomedical applications, a multiplexed array of functional protein tags (HA- and FLAG-tag) is synthesized, and selective binding of respective epitope recognizing antibodies is shown. This approach uses only small amounts of base chemicals for synthesis and can be further parallelized, therefore, opening up a route to flexible, highly dense, and cost-effective microarrays.

Autism-specific maternal autoantibodies produce behavioral abnormalities in an endogenous antigen-driven mouse model of autism

Jones, Karen L.; Pride, Michael C.; Edmiston, Elizabeth; Yang, Mu; Silverman, Jill L.; Crawley, Jacqueline N.; Van de Water, Judy
Mol Psychiatry.
Jun 2018
10.1038/s41380-018-0126-1
Immune dysregulation has been noted consistently in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families, including the presence of autoantibodies reactive to fetal brain proteins in nearly a quarter of mothers of children with ASD versus <1% in mothers of typically developing children. Our lab recently identified the peptide epitope sequences on seven antigenic proteins targeted by these maternal autoantibodies. Through immunization with these peptide epitopes, we have successfully created an endogenous, antigen-driven mouse model that ensures a constant exposure to the salient autoantibodies throughout gestation in C57BL/6J mice. This exposure more naturally mimics what is observed in mothers of children with ASD. Male and female offspring were tested using a comprehensive sequence of behavioral assays, as well as measures of health and development highly relevant to ASD. We found that MAR-ASD male and female offspring had significant alterations in development and social interactions during dyadic play. Although 3-chambered social approach was not significantly different, fewer social interactions with an estrous female were noted in the adult male MAR-ASD animals, as well as reduced vocalizations emitted in response to social cues with robust repetitive self-grooming behaviors relative to saline treated controls. The generation of MAR-ASD-specific epitope autoantibodies in female mice prior to breeding created a model that demonstrates for the first time that ASD-specific antigen-induced maternal autoantibodies produced alterations in a constellation of ASD-relevant behaviors.

Reductionist Approach in Peptide-Based Nanotechnology

Gazit, Ehud
Annu. Rev. Biochem..
Jun 2018
10.1146/annurev-biochem-062917-012541
The formation of ordered nanostructures by molecular self-assembly of proteins and peptides represents one of the principal directions in nanotechnology. Indeed, polyamides provide superior features as materials with diverse physical properties. A reductionist approach allowed the identification of extremely short peptide sequences, as short as dipeptides, which could form well-ordered amyloid-like β-sheet-rich assemblies comparable to supramolecular structures made of much larger proteins. Some of the peptide assemblies show remarkable mechanical, optical, and electrical characteristics. Another direction of reductionism utilized a natural noncoded amino acid, α-aminoisobutryic acid, to form short superhelical assemblies. The use of this exceptional helix inducer motif allowed the fabrication of single heptad repeats used in various biointerfaces, including their use as surfactants and DNA-binding agents. Two additional directions of the reductionist approach include the use of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) and coassembly techniques. The diversified accomplishments of the reductionist approach, as well as the exciting future advances it bears, are discussed.

The interplay of type I and type II interferons in murine autoimmune cholangitis as a basis for sex-biased autoimmunity: Bae et al.

Bae, Heekyong R.; Hodge, Deborah L.; Yang, Guo-Xiang; Leung, Patrick S.C.; Chodisetti, Sathi Babu; Valencia, Julio C.; Sanford, Michael; Fenimore, John M.; Rahman, Ziaur S.M.; Tsuneyama, Koichi; Norman, Gary L.; Gershwin, M. Eric; Young, Howard A.
Hepatology.
Apr 2018
10.1002/hep.29524
We have reported on a murine model of autoimmune cholangitis, generated by altering the AU-rich element (ARE) by deletion of the interferon gamma (IFN-γ) 3′ untranslated region (coined ARE-Del−/−), that has striking similarities to human primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with female predominance. Previously, we suggested that the sex bias of autoimmune cholangitis was secondary to intense and sustained type I and II IFN signaling. Based on this thesis, and to define the mechanisms that lead to portal inflammation, we specifically addressed the hypothesis that type I IFNs are the driver of this disease. To accomplish these goals, we crossed ARE-Del−/− mice with IFN type I receptor alpha chain (Ifnar1) knockout mice. We report herein that loss of type I IFN receptor signaling in the double construct of ARE-Del−/− Ifnar1−/− mice dramatically reduces liver pathology and abrogated sex bias. More importantly, female ARE-Del−/− mice have an increased number of germinal center (GC) B cells as well as abnormal follicular formation, sites which have been implicated in loss of tolerance. Deletion of type I IFN signaling in ARE-Del−/− Ifnar1−/− mice corrects these GC abnormalities, including abnormal follicular structure. Conclusion: Our data implicate type I IFN signaling as a necessary component of the sex bias of this murine model of autoimmune cholangitis. Importantly these data suggest that drugs that target the type I IFN signaling pathway would have potential benefit in the earlier stages of PBC. (Hepatology 2018;67:1408-1419)

Bicaudal D2 is a novel autoantibody target in systemic sclerosis that shares a key epitope with CENP-A but has a distinct clinical phenotype

Fritzler, Marvin J.; Hudson, Marie; Choi, May Y.; Mahler, Michael; Wang, Mianbo; Bentow, Chelsea; Milo, Jay; Baron, Murray; Pope, J.; Baron, M.; Markland, J.; Robinson, D.; Jones, N.; Khalidi, N.; Docherty, P.; Kaminska, E.; Masetto, A.; Sutton, E.; Mathieu, J.-P.; Hudson, M.; Ligier, S.; Grodzicky, T.; LeClercq, S.; Thorne, C.; Gyger, G.; Smith, D.; Fortin, P.R.; Larché, M.; Abu-Hakima, M.; Rodriguez-Reyna, T.S.; Cabral, A.R.; Fritzler, M.J.
Autoimmunity Reviews.
Mar 2018
10.1016/j.autrev.2018.01.006
We studied the clinical correlations and epitopes of autoantibodies directed to a novel autoantigen, Bicaudal D (BICD2), in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and reviewed its relationship to centromere protein A (CENP-A). 451 SSc sera were tested for anti-BICD2 using a paramagnetic bead immunoassay and then univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to study the association between anti-BICD2 and demographic and clinical parameters as well as other SSc-related autoantibodies. Epitope mapping was performed on solid phase matrices. 25.7% (116/451) SSc sera were anti-BICD2 positive, of which 19.0% had single specificity anti-BICD2 and 81.0% had other autoantibodies, notably anti-CENP (83/94; 88.3%). Compared to anti-BICD2 negative subjects (335/451), single specificity anti-BICD2 subjects were more likely to have an inflammatory myopathy (IM; 31.8% vs. 9.6%, p = .004) and interstitial lung disease (ILD; 52.4% vs. 29.0%, p = .024). Epitope mapping revealed a serine- and proline-rich nonapeptide SPSPGSSLP comprising amino acids 606–614 of BICD2, shared with CENP-A but not CENP-B. We observed that autoantibodies to BICD2 represent a new biomarker as they were detected in patients without other SSc-specific autoantibodies and were the second most common autoantibody identified in this SSc cohort. Our data indicate that the major cross-reactive epitope is associated with anti-CENP-A but, unlike anti-CENP, single specificity anti-BICD2 antibodies associate with ILD and IM.

Identification of the antigenic epitopes of maternal autoantibodies in autism spectrum disorders

Edmiston, Elizabeth; Jones, Karen L.; Vu, Tam; Ashwood, Paul; Van de Water, Judy
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
Mar 2018
10.1016/j.bbi.2017.12.014
Several groups have described the presence of fetal brain-reactive maternal autoantibodies in the plasma of some mothers whose children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We previously identified seven autoantigens targeted by these maternal autoantibodies, each of which is expressed at significant levels in the developing brain and has demonstrated roles in typical neurodevelopment. To further understand the binding repertoire of the maternal autoantibodies, as well as the presence of any meaningful differences with respect to the recognition and binding of these ASD-specific autoantibodies to each of these neuronal autoantigens, we utilized overlapping peptide microarrays incubated with maternal plasma samples obtained from the Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and Environment (CHARGE) Study. In an effort to identify the most commonly recognized (immunodominant) epitope sequences targeted by maternal autoantibodies for each of the seven ASD-specific autoantigens, arrays were screened with plasma from mothers with children across diagnostic groups (ASD and typically developing (TD)) that were positive for at least one antigen by western blot (N = 67) or negative control mothers unreactive to any of the autoantigens (N = 18). Of the 63 peptides identified with the discovery microarrays, at least one immunodominant peptide was successfully identified for each of the seven antigenic proteins using subsequent selective screening microarrays. Furthermore, while limited by our relatively small sample size, there were peptides that were distinctly recognized by autoantibodies relative to diagnosis For example, reactivity was observed exclusively in mothers of children of ASD towards several peptides, including the LDH-B peptides DCIIIVVSNPVDILT (9.1% ASD vs. 0% TD; odds ratio (95% CI) = 6.644 (0.355–124.384)) and PVAEEEATVPNNKIT (5.5% ASD vs. 0% TD; odds ratio (95% CI) = 4.067 (0.203–81.403)).These results suggest that there are differences in the binding repertoire between the antigen positive ASD and TD maternal samples. Further, the autoantibodies in plasma from mothers of children with ASD bound to a more diverse set of peptides, and there were specific peptide binding combinations observed only in this group. Future studies are underway to determine the critical amino acids necessary for autoantibody binding, which will be essential in developing a potential therapeutic strategy for maternal autoantibody related (MAR) ASD.

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