scholarly journals BLI-Based Functional Assay in Phage Display Benefits the Development of a PD-L1-Targeting Therapeutic Antibody

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 684
Author(s):  
Jong Rip Choi ◽  
Min Jung Kim ◽  
Nara Tae ◽  
Tae Min Wi ◽  
Se-Ho Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phage Display ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Scfv Antibody ◽  
Functional Assay ◽  
Inhibition Assay ◽  
Antibody Screening ◽  
Mammalian Expression

The therapeutic functionality of the antibodies from phage display is verified after an initial screening. Several immunological assays such as ELISA, flow cytometry, the western blot, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay are commonly used; the IgG-format antibody is usually preferred to verify the functionality of antibodies, which need elaborative mammalian expression and purification work. Here, we describe a biolayer interferometry (BLI)-based assay that can evaluate the inhibitory functions of antibodies at an earlier stage of screening. To develop a PD-L1-targeting antibody from phage display, we applied the BLI assay to the initial scFv antibody screening, in addition to common ELISA and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) assays, which showed high advantages and relevance with the in vitro cell-based PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition assay. The same assays for IgG-format antibodies showed high efficiency of the BLI assay in the functional characterization of antibodies, and one candidate selected from the BLI assay resulted in highly efficacious antitumor activity in an in vivo syngeneic mouse study. The BLI assay was also beneficial when searching for antibodies with diverse epitopes. These results demonstrated that the BLI-based inhibition assay is an excellent technique for high-throughput scFv antibody screening in earlier stages and can make phage-display antibody screening more efficient to develop therapeutic candidates.

scholarly journals Physicochemical and Functional Characterization of Female Reproductive Fluids: A Report of the First Two Infants Born Following Addition of Their Mother's Fluids to the Embryo Culture Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Analuce Canha-Gouveia ◽  
Maria Teresa Prieto-Sánchez ◽  
Maria Luisa Sánchez-Ferrer ◽  
Marta Mollá ◽  
Juan Carlos Martínez-Soto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryo Culture ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Abdominal Hysterectomy ◽  
Functional Assay ◽  
Uterine Fluid ◽  
Human Reproductive

Culture media supplemented with reproductive fluids (RF) have been used in livestock species, improving the efficiency and quality of in vitro produced embryos. However, usefulness in humans is still unknown. In this study, we collected human reproductive fluids (HRFs) ex vivo (from 25 patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy plus bilateral salpingectomy) and in vivo (from 31 oocyte donors). Afterward, protocols to evaluate their osmolality, pH, total protein concentration, endotoxin level, and sterility were optimized, establishing security ranges for their use as natural additives. In addition, a functional assay was developed with bovine embryos grown in vitro in a medium supplemented with 1% of collected HRFs. Finally, a proof of concept was performed with six patients on post ovulation day 2 to evaluate the full-term viability of embryos grown in media supplemented with autologous uterine fluid, collected under in vivo conditions. Two of the embryos resulted in successful pregnancy and delivery of healthy babies. In conclusion, this study establishes a complete quality control sheet of HRFs as additives for embryo culture media and shows first preliminary data on obtaining healthy offspring derived from embryos grown in media supplemented with HRFs.

Behaviour and Quantitation of Extrinsic (Tissue-Type) Plasminogen Activator in Human Blood

1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (02) ◽  
pp. 518-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Kluft ◽  
A F H Jie ◽  
R A Allen
Keyword(s):  
Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Venous Occlusion ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Functional Assay ◽  
Uterine Tissue ◽  
Tissue Type Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Type Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Baseline Values

SummaryFunctional assay of extrinsic (tissue-type) plasminogen activator (EPA) in plasma on fibrin plates was evaluated. Using specific quenching antibodies, we demonstrated the method to be specific for EPA under all conditions tested. Contributions of urokinases and intrinsic activators were excluded. The quantity of EPA in blood samples, as compared with purified uterine tissue activator, shows 1 blood activator unit (BAU) to be comparable to 0.93 ng.The median values for EPA activity for healthy volunteers were: baseline, 1.9 BAU/ml (n = 123); diurnal, 5.5 BAU/ml (n = 12); DDAVP administration, 11.7 BAU/ml (n = 39); exhaustive exercise, 25 BAU/ml (n = 24); venous occlusion (15 min), 35 BAU/ml (n = 61). A large inter-individual variation in EPA activity was found, while individual baseline values tended to be constant for periods of weeks.In vitro in blood EPA activity shows a disappearance of 50% in about 90 min at 37° C; EPA activity in euglobulin fractions is stable for ≤2 hr at 37° C.A rapid decrease in EPA activity occurs in vivo, as noted after extracorporal circulation and exercise stimulation (t½ decay, 2-5 min).

scholarly journals Functional identification of ygiP as a positive regulator of the ttdA-ttdB-ygjE operon

Microbiology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 152 (7) ◽  
pp. 2129-2135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taku Oshima ◽  
Francis Biville
Keyword(s):  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Anaerobic Growth ◽  
Functional Identification ◽  
New Members ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Inner Membrane Protein ◽  
Tartrate Dehydratase

Functional characterization of unknown genes is currently a major task in biology. The search for gene function involves a combination of various in silico, in vitro and in vivo approaches. Available knowledge from the study of more than 21 LysR-type regulators in Escherichia coli has facilitated the classification of new members of the family. From sequence similarities and its location on the E. coli chromosome, it is suggested that ygiP encodes a lysR regulator controlling the expression of a neighbouring operon; this operon encodes the two subunits of tartrate dehydratase (TtdA, TtdB) and YgiE, an integral inner-membrane protein possibly involved in tartrate uptake. Expression of tartrate dehydratase, which converts tartrate to oxaloacetate, is required for anaerobic growth on glycerol as carbon source in the presence of tartrate. Here, it has been demonstrated that disruption of ygiP, ttdA or ygjE abolishes tartrate-dependent anaerobic growth on glycerol. It has also been shown that tartrate-dependent induction of the ttdA-ttdB-ygjE operon requires a functional YgiP.

scholarly journals Functional Characterization of the mazEF Toxin-Antitoxin System in the Pathogenic Bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1107
Author(s):  
Wonho Choi ◽  
Yoshihiro Yamaguchi ◽  
Ji-Young Park ◽  
Sang-Hyun Park ◽  
Hyeok-Won Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agrobacterium Tumefaciens ◽  
Physiological Function ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
In Vitro Assays ◽  
Cell Growth Inhibition ◽  
The Right

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a pathogen of various plants which transfers its own DNA (T-DNA) to the host plants. It is used for producing genetically modified plants with this ability. To control T-DNA transfer to the right place, toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems of A. tumefaciens were used to control the target site of transfer without any unintentional targeting. Here, we describe a toxin-antitoxin system, Atu0939 (mazE-at) and Atu0940 (mazF-at), in the chromosome of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The toxin in the TA system has 33.3% identity and 45.5% similarity with MazF in Escherichia coli. The expression of MazF-at caused cell growth inhibition, while cells with MazF-at co-expressed with MazE-at grew normally. In vivo and in vitro assays revealed that MazF-at inhibited protein synthesis by decreasing the cellular mRNA stability. Moreover, the catalytic residue of MazF-at was determined to be the 24th glutamic acid using site-directed mutagenesis. From the results, we concluded that MazF-at is a type II toxin-antitoxin system and a ribosome-independent endoribonuclease. Here, we characterized a TA system in A. tumefaciens whose understanding might help to find its physiological function and to develop further applications.

scholarly journals Primitive Human Hematopoietic Cells Are Enriched in Cord Blood Compared With Adult Bone Marrow or Mobilized Peripheral Blood as Measured by the Quantitative In Vivo SCID-Repopulating Cell Assay

Blood ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 89 (11) ◽  
pp. 3919-3924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean C.Y. Wang ◽  
Monica Doedens ◽  
John E. Dick
Keyword(s):  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Hematopoietic Cells ◽  
Allogeneic Transplantation ◽  
Functional Assay ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Mobilized Peripheral Blood

Abstract We have previously reported the development of in vivo functional assays for primitive human hematopoietic cells based on their ability to repopulate the bone marrow (BM) of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) and nonobese diabetic/SCID (NOD/SCID) mice following intravenous transplantation. Accumulated data from gene marking and cell purification experiments indicate that the engrafting cells (defined as SCID-repopulating cells or SRC) are biologically distinct from and more primitive than most cells that can be assayed in vitro. Here we demonstrate through limiting dilution analysis that the NOD/SCID xenotransplant model provides a quantitative assay for SRC. Using this assay, the frequency of SRC in cord blood (CB) was found to be 1 in 9.3 × 105 cells. This was significantly higher than the frequency of 1 SRC in 3.0 × 106 adult BM cells or 1 in 6.0 × 106 mobilized peripheral blood (PB) cells from normal donors. Mice transplanted with limiting numbers of SRC were engrafted with both lymphoid and multilineage myeloid human cells. This functional assay is currently the only available method for quantitative analysis of human hematopoietic cells with repopulating capacity. Both CB and mobilized PB are increasingly being used as alternative sources of hematopoietic stem cells in allogeneic transplantation. Thus, the findings reported here will have important clinical as well as biologic implications.

scholarly journals Catalytic activity and stereoselectivity of engineered phosphotriesterases towards structurally different nerve agents in vitro

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Köhler ◽  
Benjamin Escher ◽  
Laura Job ◽  
Marianne Koller ◽  
Horst Thiermann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Clearance ◽  
Nerve Agents ◽  
Inhibition Assay ◽  
Ache Inhibition ◽  
Catalytic Activities ◽  
Chiral Lc ◽  
Hydrolysis Of ◽  
Medical Countermeasures

AbstractHighly toxic organophosphorus nerve agents, especially the extremely stable and persistent V-type agents such as VX, still pose a threat to the human population and require effective medical countermeasures. Engineered mutants of the Brevundimonas diminuta phosphotriesterase (BdPTE) exhibit enhanced catalytic activities and have demonstrated detoxification in animal models, however, substrate specificity and fast plasma clearance limit their medical applicability. To allow better assessment of their substrate profiles, we have thoroughly investigated the catalytic efficacies of five BdPTE mutants with 17 different nerve agents using an AChE inhibition assay. In addition, we studied one BdPTE version that was fused with structurally disordered PAS polypeptides to enable delayed plasma clearance and one bispecific BdPTE with broadened substrate spectrum composed of two functionally distinct subunits connected by a PAS linker. Measured kcat/KM values were as high as 6.5 and 1.5 × 108 M−1 min−1 with G- and V-agents, respectively. Furthermore, the stereoselective degradation of VX enantiomers by the PASylated BdPTE-4 and the bispecific BdPTE-7 were investigated by chiral LC–MS/MS, resulting in a several fold faster hydrolysis of the more toxic P(−) VX stereoisomer compared to P(+) VX. In conclusion, the newly developed enzymes BdPTE-4 and BdPTE-7 have shown high catalytic efficacy towards structurally different nerve agents and stereoselectivity towards the toxic P(−) VX enantiomer in vitro and offer promise for use as bioscavengers in vivo.

scholarly journals A novel dephosphorylation targeting chimera selectively promoting tau removal in tauopathies

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Zheng ◽  
Na Tian ◽  
Fei Liu ◽  
Yidian Zhang ◽  
Jingfen Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Protein Phosphatase ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Microtubule Assembly ◽  
Hyperphosphorylated Tau ◽  
Phosphatase 2A ◽  
Dependent Learning ◽  
The Brain

AbstractIntraneuronal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau is a hallmark pathology shown in over twenty neurodegenerative disorders, collectively termed as tauopathies, including the most common Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Therefore, selectively removing or reducing hyperphosphorylated tau is promising for therapies of AD and other tauopathies. Here, we designed and synthesized a novel DEPhosphorylation TArgeting Chimera (DEPTAC) to specifically facilitate the binding of tau to Bα-subunit-containing protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A-Bα), the most active tau phosphatase in the brain. The DEPTAC exhibited high efficiency in dephosphorylating tau at multiple AD-associated sites and preventing tau accumulation both in vitro and in vivo. Further studies revealed that DEPTAC significantly improved microtubule assembly, neurite plasticity, and hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in transgenic mice with inducible overexpression of truncated and neurotoxic human tau N368. Our data provide a strategy for selective removal of the hyperphosphorylated tau, which sheds new light for the targeted therapy of AD and related-tauopathies.

scholarly journals A non-human primate in vitro functional assay for the early evaluation of TB vaccine candidates

npj Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Tanner ◽  
Andrew D. White ◽  
Charelle Boot ◽  
Claudia C. Sombroek ◽  
Matthew K. O’Shea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Inhibition ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Functional Assay ◽  
Intermediate Precision ◽  
Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽  
Growth Inhibition Assay ◽  
Early Evaluation ◽  
Human Primate

AbstractWe present a non-human primate mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) using in vitro blood or cell co-culture with the aim of refining and expediting early tuberculosis vaccine testing. We have taken steps to optimise the assay using cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells, transfer it to end-user institutes, and assess technical and biological validity. Increasing cell concentration or mycobacterial input and co-culturing in static 48-well plates compared with rotating tubes improved intra-assay repeatability and sensitivity. Standardisation and harmonisation efforts resulted in high consistency agreements, with repeatability and intermediate precision <10% coefficient of variation (CV) and inter-site reproducibility <20% CV; although some systematic differences were observed. As proof-of-concept, we demonstrated ability to detect a BCG vaccine-induced improvement in growth inhibition in macaque samples, and a correlation between MGIA outcome and measures of protection from in vivo disease development following challenge with either intradermal BCG or aerosol/endobronchial Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) at a group and individual animal level.

scholarly journals Tumor-Targeting Peptides Search Strategy for the Delivery of Therapeutic and Diagnostic Molecules to Tumor Cells

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 314
Author(s):  
Maria D. Dmitrieva ◽  
Anna A. Voitova ◽  
Maya A. Dymova ◽  
Vladimir A. Richter ◽  
Elena V. Kuligina
Keyword(s):  
Phage Display ◽  
Cell Sorting ◽  
Targeted Delivery ◽  
Tumor Targeting ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Tumor Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Agents ◽  
Phage Libraries

Background: The combination of the unique properties of cancer cells makes it possible to find specific ligands that interact directly with the tumor, and to conduct targeted tumor therapy. Phage display is one of the most common methods for searching for specific ligands. Bacteriophages display peptides, and the peptides themselves can be used as targeting molecules for the delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Phage display can be performed both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, it is possible to carry out the phage display on cells pre-enriched for a certain tumor marker, for example, CD44 and CD133. Methods: For this work we used several methods, such as phage display, sequencing, cell sorting, immunocytochemistry, phage titration. Results: We performed phage display using different screening systems (in vitro and in vivo), different phage libraries (Ph.D-7, Ph.D-12, Ph.D-C7C) on CD44+/CD133+ and without enrichment U-87 MG cells. The binding efficiency of bacteriophages displayed tumor-targeting peptides on U-87 MG cells was compared in vitro. We also conducted a comparative analysis in vivo of the specificity of the accumulation of selected bacteriophages in the tumor and in the control organs (liver, brain, kidney and lungs). Conclusions: The screening in vivo of linear phage peptide libraries for glioblastoma was the most effective strategy for obtaining tumor-targeting peptides providing targeted delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents to glioblastoma.

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