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

Anti-TRPV2 Autoantibody Linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Maguy, Ange; Tessier, Agnès; Mahendran, Yuvaraj; Denis, Manon; Lauzier, Benjamin; Charpentier, Flavien; Li, Jin
As a leading cause of infant death, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains a perplexing diagnosis with no clear underlying biological substrate.1 In the past decade, studies have emerged demonstrating that circulating autoantibodies targeting cardiac antigens can underlie life-threatening arrhythmias.2 Because autoimmunity as a cause of SIDS has not yet been explored, we screened infant serum samples for the presence of autoantibodies targeting cardiac ion channels and examined how immunoglobulins may play a driving role in the pathogenesis of SIDS. Comparing cases of SIDS and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed with healthy controls, we established the autoantibody profile of 47 serum samples using peptide microarray (Figure [A]), as previously described.2 Strikingly, only 1 single autoantibody targeting the transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 (TRPV2) channel (PTGPNATESVQPMEGQEDEG) was significantly associated with SIDS (P=0.028 versus controls, the default correction in limma). Collectively, we detected anti-TRPV2 autoantibodies in 84.6% of infants with SIDS compared with 50.0% in cases of accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed and 25.0% in controls.

Mapping autoantibody targets of full-length C-reactive protein in systemic lupus erythematosus: importance for neutrophil function and classical complement activation

Karlsson, Jesper; Wirestam, Lina; Duàn, Hanna; Ahmad, Suhana; Appelgren, Daniel; Enocsson, Helena; Wetterö, Jonas; Sjöwall, Christopher
Front. Immunol..
May 2025
C-reactive protein (CRP) is an important pattern recognition molecule of innate immunity. Autoantibodies targeting CRP are common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the levels correlate with disease activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate binding sites of IgG autoantibodies on the full linear sequence of CRP and identify potential associations with clinical variables in well-characterized SLE patients; a secondary aim was to investigate the effect of an epitope-based synthesized peptide motif on neutrophil functions. The levels of anti-CRP and SLE-associated antibodies were assessed, and a microarray-based linear epitope mapping was performed to detect binding sites on the full CRP monomer. We observed that anti-CRP antibodies bind to a variety of linear epitopes with a higher prevalence in SLE compared to healthy blood donors. Eleven unique epitopes were identified, of which five were found exclusively in SLE. Furthermore, we show that patients with anticardiolipin IgG and/or anti-β2GPI IgG antibodies have a higher number of positive CRP epitopes, and some CRP autoantibody-specificities associate with antiphospholipid antibodies, disease activity, and classical complement activation. In addition, one identified motif was selected, synthesized, and used for studying neutrophil function. This peptide showed modulatory capacity on neutrophil oxidative burst and chemotaxis, but not on neutrophil extracellular trap formation. Our results implicate a wide variation of anti-CRP autoantibody binding motifs of the linear structure of CRP in SLE patients. Some epitopes have the potential to modify innate host responses of relevance to the pathogenesis of SLE.

Paediatric autoimmune uveitis is associated with intraocular antibodies against Epstein–Barr virus Nuclear Antigen 1 (EBNA-1)

Hendrikse, Jytte; Bont, Louis J.; Schellekens, Peter A.W.J.F.; De Groot-Mijnes, Jolanda D.F.; De Boer, Joke H.; Kuiper, Jonas J.W.
eBioMedicine.
Mar 2025
**Background** Non-infectious uveitis is an immune-mediated disease characterized by vision-threatening inflammation within the eye. Increasing evidence indicates that microbial agents promote non-infectious uveitis, but the natural history of immune responses to pathogens in patients remains unexplored. We determined intraocular antibodies against pathogens in paediatric uveitis. **Methods** We used peptide microarrays containing 3760 linear B-cell epitopes from 196 human pathogens to profile IgG levels in eye fluid biopsies and paired serum samples from 18 Dutch paediatric patients and 6 age-matched controls. We compared intensities of single epitopes and clusters based on overlapping amino acid sequence of peptides. Next-generation sequencing data was obtained to determine the HLA-DRB1∗15:01 genotype. **Findings** Intraocular antibody profiles largely matched serum profiles and were characterized by high IgG against the conserved PALTAVET-motif of enterovirus family members, as well as broad epitope reactivity against Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). The aqueous humour of patients showed elevated levels of antibodies against peptides containing the RRPFFHPV-motif of Epstein–Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 1 [EBNA-1]. Antibody levels against the RRPFFHPV-motif of EBNA1 were significantly higher in individuals that carry the HLA-DRB1∗15:01 risk allele of paediatric uveitis. **Interpretation** Intraocular antibodies against an immunogenic epitope of EBV showed an association with paediatric uveitis, particularly HLA-DRB1∗15:01 positive uveitis, indicating a potential link between EBV-specific immune responses and autoimmune uveitis. **Funding** Funding for this research was received from Fischer Stichting (UZ2022-3), ODAS (2021-02), LSBS and ANVVB.

A tumor-binding antibody with cross-reactivity to viral antigens

Campa, Michael J.; Gottlin, Elizabeth B.; Wiehe, Kevin; Patz, Edward F.
Cancer Immunol Immunother.
Feb 2025
**Background** We previously identified in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients an autoantibody to complement factor H (CFH) that is associated with non-metastatic disease and longer time to progression in patients with stage I disease. A recombinant human antibody, GT103, was cloned from single B cells isolated from patients with the autoantibody. GT103 inhibits tumor growth and establishes an antitumor microenvironment. The anti-CFH autoantibody and GT103 recognize the epitope PIDNGDIT within the SCR19 domain of CFH. Here, we asked if this autoantibody could have originally arisen as a humoral response to a similar epitope in a viral protein from a prior infection. **Methods** Homologous viral peptides with high sequence identity to the core PIDNGDIT epitope sequence were identified and synthesized. NSCLC patient plasma containing anti-CFH autoantibodies were assayed by ELISA against these peptides. GT103 was assayed on a 4345-peptide pathogen microarray. **Results** Epitopes similar to the GT103 epitope are present in several viruses, including human metapneumovirus-1 (HMPV-1) that contains a sequence within attachment glycoprotein G that differs by one amino acid. Anti-CFH autoantibodies in NSCLC patient plasma weakly bound to an HMPV-1 peptide containing the epitope. GT103 cross-reacted with multiple viral epitopes on a peptide microarray, with the top hits being peptides in the human endogenous retrovirus-K polymerase (HERV-K pol) protein and measles hemagglutinin glycoprotein. GT103 bound the viral HMPV-1, HERV-K pol, and measles epitope peptides but with lower affinity compared to the GT103 epitope peptide. **Conclusion** These findings suggest that memory B cells against a viral target could have affinity matured to produce an antibody that recognizes a similar epitope on tumor cells and exhibits antitumor properties.

The antibody repertoire of autoimmune sensory neuronopathies targets pathways of the innate and adaptative immune system. An autoantigenomic approach.

Moritz, Christian P.; Tholance, Yannick; Boutahar, Nadia; Borowczyk, Coralie; Berger, Anne-Emmanuelle; Paul, Stéphane; Antoine, Jean-Christophe; Camdessanché, Jean-Philippe
Journal of Translational Autoimmunity.
Jan 2025
Sensory neuronopathies (SNN) encompasses diverse etiologies, with autoimmunity playing a major role through both cellular and humoral responses. To investigate the humoral autoantibody repertoire in autoimmune SNN, we conducted a retrospective cohort study using large Human Proteome-wide protein microarrays (HuProt 3.1, HuProt 4.0, ProtoArrays). We specifically focused on immune system pathways within the repertoire of targeted antigens (the autoantigenome). We included 131 participants: 44 patients with non-paraneoplastic autoimmune SNN (12 with anti-FGFR3 and/or anti-AGO antibodies), 8 with paraneoplastic SNN and 79 controls. Results were validated in an independent cohort of 16 SNN patients. Overrepresentation of immune-system-related proteins was assessed via the Reactome database, and serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-6 were measured using the Bio-Plex Pro™ Reagent Kit. Autoimmune SNN sera interact with more immune system proteins than healthy controls (ProtoArrays: 271/863 vs. 14/863, HuProt: 112/1694 vs. 39/1694, both p<0.0001). Overrepresentation was observed in all immune sub-pathways, including innate, adaptive immune responses, and cytokine signaling. Anti-FGFR3-positive SNN patients were more reactive with immune system proteins than negative ones. The independent SNN cohort validated the finding of overrepresentatively targeted immune system pathways. Validation with dot blot and ELISA confirmed reactivity to TRIM21 and IL-6, and identified anti-IFN-γ-positive SNN patients. IFN-γ levels correlated weakly with levels of anti-IFN-γ antibodies (Pearson’s r = 0.22, p=0.03). We conclude that the antibody repertoire of autoimmune SNN targets pathways of the innate and adaptative immune system, potentially reflecting key disease-related immune pathways and highlighting the systemic role of immune dysregulation in SNN.

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.

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.

Characterization of a sandwich ELISA for quantification of total human soluble neuropilin‐1

Gadermaier, Elisabeth; Tesarz, Manfred; Wallwitz, Jacqueline; Berg, Gabriela; Himmler, Gottfried
J Clin Lab Anal.
Sep 2019
Background Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) is a highly interactive molecule that exists as transmembrane and soluble isoforms. Measurement of circulating levels of soluble NRP1 (sNRP1) in human serum and plasma has proven to be difficult due to present matrix interferences and due to the lack of a reliable technique. Methods We developed a highly specific and sensitive sandwich ELISA assay for total sNRP1 quantification in peripheral blood, and we validated the test according to ICH guidelines. The linear epitopes of the employed polyclonal and monoclonal anti-human NRP1 antibodies were mapped with microarray technology. We included a sample pre-treatment step with guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) to release sNRP1 from existing interferants. Results The ELISA assay which is calibrated with sNRP1 isoform 2 and covers a calibration range from 0.375 to 12 nmol/L detects sNRP1 in human serum and plasma (heparin, EDTA, and citrate). Multiple linear epitopes recognized by the polyclonal coating antibody are distributed over the whole sNRP1 sequence. The monoclonal detection antibody binds to a linear epitope which is in the N-terminal region of the a1 domain of human sNRP1. Assay parameters like precision (intra-assay: 6%), dilution linearity (95%-115%), specificity (98%), and spike recovery (81%-109%) meet the international standards of acceptance. Conclusion Our novel sandwich ELISA provides a reliable tool for the quantitative determination of total human sNRP1. The assay detects free and previous ligand-bound total NRP1.

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.

LRPAP1 is a frequent proliferation-inducing antigen of BCRs of mantle cell lymphomas and can be used for specific therapeutic targeting

Thurner, Lorenz; Hartmann, Sylvia; Fadle, Natalie; Kemele, Maria; Bock, Theresa; Bewarder, Moritz; Regitz, Evi; Neumann, Frank; Nimmesgern, Anna; von Müller, Lutz; Pott, Christiane; Kim, Yoo-Jin; Bohle, Rainer Maria; Wasik, Mariusz; Schuster, Stephen J.; Hansmann, Martin-Leo; Preuss, Klaus-Dieter; Pfreundschuh, Michael
Leukemia.
Jun 2019
The predominant usage of VH4-34 and V3-21 and reports of stereotyped CDR3s suggest a shared antigenic target of B-cell receptors (BCR) from mantle cell lymphomas (MCL). To identify the target antigens of MCL–BCRs, BCRs from 21 patients and seven MCL cell lines were recombinantly expressed and used for antigen screening. The BCRs from 8/21 patients and 2/7 MCL cell lines reacted specifically with the autoantigen low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-associated protein 1 (LRPAP1). High-titered and light chain-restricted anti-LRPAP1 serum antibodies were found in MCL patients, but not in controls. LRPAP1 induced proliferation by BCR pathway activation, while an LRPAP1–ETA′ toxin-conjugate specifically killed MCL cells with LRPAP1-specific BCRs. Our results suggest a role of LRPAP1 in lymphomagenesis and maintenance of a considerable proportion of MCL cases by chronic autoantigenic stimulation, likely evolving from a chronic autoreactive B-cell response. Importantly, LRPAP1 can be used for a novel therapeutic approach that targets MCL with LRPAP1-reactive BCRs with high specificity.

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