1
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Banda-Vázquez JA, Mauz A, Werner JPF, Costa RD. VARPA: In Silico Additive Screening for Protein-Based Lighting Devices. SMALL METHODS 2024; 8:e2301038. [PMID: 38191802 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202301038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Protein optoelectronics is an emerging field facing implementation and stabilization challenges of proteins in harsh non-natural environments, such as dry polymers, inorganic materials, etc., operating at high temperatures/irradiations. In this context, additives promoting structural and functional protein stabilization are paramount to realize highly performing devices. On one hand, trial-error experimental assays based on previous knowledge of classical additives in aqueous solutions are effort/time-consuming, while their translation to water-less matrices is uncertain. On the other hand, computational simulations (molecular dynamics, electronic structure methods, etc.) are limited by the system size and time. Herein, ligand-binding affinity and atomic perturbations to create a day-fast computational method combining Vina And Rosetta for Protein Additives (VARPA) to simulate the stabilization effect of sugars for the archetypal enhanced green fluorescent protein embedded in a standard dry polymer color-converting filter for bio-hybrid light-emitting diodes is merged. The VARPA's sugar additive prediction trend for protein stabilization is nicely validated by thermal and photophysical studies as well as lighting device analysis. The device stability followed the predicted enhanced stability trend, reaching a 40-fold improvement compared to reference devices. Overall, VARPA can be adapted to a myriad of additives and proteins, driving first-step experimental efforts toward highly performing protein devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Agustín Banda-Vázquez
- Chair of Biogenic Functional Materials, Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, Schulgasse 22, 94315, Straubing, Germany
| | - Alexander Mauz
- Chair of Biogenic Functional Materials, Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, Schulgasse 22, 94315, Straubing, Germany
| | - Juan Pablo Fuenzalida Werner
- Chair of Biogenic Functional Materials, Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, Schulgasse 22, 94315, Straubing, Germany
| | - Rubén D Costa
- Chair of Biogenic Functional Materials, Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, Schulgasse 22, 94315, Straubing, Germany
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2
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de Lima JY, de Castro Andreassa E, Venturi Biembengut Í, de Arruda Campos Brasil de Souza T. Dissecting dual specificity: Identifying key residues in L-asparaginase for enhanced acute lymphoid leukemia therapy and reduced adverse effects. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 254:127998. [PMID: 37949271 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
L-asparaginase from Escherichia coli (EcA) has been used for the treatment of acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) since the 1970s. Nevertheless, the enzyme has a second specificity that results in glutaminase breakdown, resulting in depletion from the patient's body, causing severe adverse effects. Despite the huge interest in the use of this enzyme, the exact process of glutamine depletion is still unknown and there is no consensus regarding L-asparagine hydrolysis. Here, we investigate the role of T12, Y25, and T89 in asparaginase and glutaminase activities. We obtained individual clones containing mutations in the T12, Y25 or T89 residues. After the recombinant production of wild-type and mutated EcA, The purified samples were subjected to structural analysis using Nano Differential Scanning Fluorimetry, which revealed that all samples contained thermostable molecules in their active structural conformation, the homotetramer conformation. The quaternary conformation was confirmed by DLS and SEC. The activity enzymatic assay combined with molecular dynamics simulation identified the contribution of T12, Y25, and T89 residues in EcA glutaminase and asparaginase activities. Our results mapped the enzymatic behavior paving the way for the designing of improved EcA enzymes, which is important in the treatment of ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhenifer Yonara de Lima
- Structural and Computational Proteomics Laboratory, Carlos Chagas Institute, FIOCRUZ-PR, Curitiba, PR 80320-290, Brazil.
| | - Emanuella de Castro Andreassa
- Structural and Computational Proteomics Laboratory, Carlos Chagas Institute, FIOCRUZ-PR, Curitiba, PR 80320-290, Brazil
| | - Ísis Venturi Biembengut
- Structural and Computational Proteomics Laboratory, Carlos Chagas Institute, FIOCRUZ-PR, Curitiba, PR 80320-290, Brazil
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3
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Patrian M, Shaukat A, Nieddu M, Banda-Vázquez JA, Timonen JVI, Fuenzalida Werner JP, Anaya-Plaza E, Kostiainen MA, Costa RD. Supercharged Fluorescent Protein-Apoferritin Cocrystals for Lighting Applications. ACS NANO 2023; 17:21206-21215. [PMID: 37902649 PMCID: PMC10684032 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c05284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
The application of fluorescent proteins (FPs) in optoelectronics is hindered by the need for effective protocols to stabilize them under device preparation and operational conditions. Factors such as high temperatures, irradiation, and organic solvent exposure contribute to the denaturation of FPs, resulting in a low device performance. Herein, we focus on addressing the photoinduced heat generation associated with FP motion and rapid heat transfer. This leads to device temperatures of approximately 65 °C, causing FP-denaturation and a subsequent loss of device functionality. We present a FP stabilization strategy involving the integration of electrostatically self-assembled FP-apoferritin cocrystals within a silicone-based color down-converting filter. Three key achievements characterize this approach: (i) an engineering strategy to design positively supercharged FPs (+22) without compromising photoluminescence and thermal stability compared to their native form, (ii) a carefully developed crystallization protocol resulting in highly emissive cocrystals that retain the essential photoluminescence features of the FPs, and (iii) a strong reduction of the device's working temperature to 40 °C, leading to a 40-fold increase in Bio-HLEDs stability compared to reference devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Patrian
- Chair
of Biogenic Functional Materials, 6 Technical
University of Munich, Schulgasse, 22, Straubing 94315, Germany
| | - Ahmed Shaukat
- Department
of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, 00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Mattia Nieddu
- Chair
of Biogenic Functional Materials, 6 Technical
University of Munich, Schulgasse, 22, Straubing 94315, Germany
| | - Jesús Agustín Banda-Vázquez
- Chair
of Biogenic Functional Materials, 6 Technical
University of Munich, Schulgasse, 22, Straubing 94315, Germany
| | - Jaakko V. I. Timonen
- Department
of Applied Physics, Aalto University School
of Science, P.O. Box 15100, Espoo FI-02150, Finland
| | - Juan Pablo Fuenzalida Werner
- Chair
of Biogenic Functional Materials, 6 Technical
University of Munich, Schulgasse, 22, Straubing 94315, Germany
| | - Eduardo Anaya-Plaza
- Department
of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, 00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Mauri A. Kostiainen
- Department
of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, 00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Rubén D. Costa
- Chair
of Biogenic Functional Materials, 6 Technical
University of Munich, Schulgasse, 22, Straubing 94315, Germany
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4
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Zürcher D, Caduff S, Aurand L, Capasso Palmiero U, Wuchner K, Arosio P. Comparison of the Protective Effect of Polysorbates, Poloxamer and Brij on Antibody Stability Against Different Interfaces. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:2853-2862. [PMID: 37295604 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic proteins and antibodies are exposed to a variety of interfaces during their lifecycle, which can compromise their stability. Formulations, including surfactants, must be carefully optimized to improve interfacial stability against all types of surfaces. Here we apply a nanoparticle-based approach to evaluate the instability of four antibody drugs against different solid-liquid interfaces characterized by different degrees of hydrophobicity. We considered a model hydrophobic material as well as cycloolefin-copolymer (COC) and cellulose, which represent some of the common solid-liquid interfaces encountered during drug production, storage, and delivery. We assess the protective effect of polysorbate 20, polysorbate 80, Poloxamer 188 and Brij 35 in our assay and in a traditional agitation study. While all nonionic surfactants stabilize antibodies against the air-water interface, none of them can protect against hydrophilic charged cellulose. Polysorbates and Brij increase antibody stability in the presence of COC and the model hydrophobic interface, although to a lesser extent compared to the air-water interface, while Poloxamer 188 has a negligible stabilizing effect against these interfaces. These results highlight the challenge of fully protecting antibodies against all types of solid-liquid interfaces with traditional surfactants. In this context, our high-throughput nanoparticle-based approach can complement traditional shaking assays and assist in formulation design to ensure protein stability not only at air-water interfaces, but also at relevant solid-liquid interfaces encountered during the product lifecycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Zürcher
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Severin Caduff
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Laetitia Aurand
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Klaus Wuchner
- Janssen R&D, BTDS Analytical Development, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
| | - Paolo Arosio
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
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5
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Bi R, Li R, Xu Z, Cai H, Zhao J, Zhou Y, Wu B, Sun P, Yang W, Zheng L, Chen XL, Luo CX, Teng H, Li Q, Li G. Melatonin targets MoIcl1 and works synergistically with fungicide isoprothiolane in rice blast control. J Pineal Res 2023; 75:e12896. [PMID: 37458404 DOI: 10.1111/jpi.12896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Melatonina natural harmless molecule-displays versatile roles in human health and crop disease control such as for rice blast. Rice blast, caused by the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is one devastating disease of rice. Application of fungicides is one of the major measures in the control of various crop diseases. However, fungicide resistance in the pathogen and relevant environmental pollution are becoming serious problems. By screening for possible synergistic combinations, here, we discovered an eco-friendly combination for rice blast control, melatonin, and the fungicide isoprothiolane. These compounds together exhibited significant synergistic inhibitory effects on vegetative growth, conidial germination, appressorium formation, penetration, and plant infection by M. oryzae. The combination of melatonin and isoprothiolane reduced the effective concentration of isoprothiolane by over 10-fold as well as residual levels of isoprothiolane. Transcriptomics and lipidomics revealed that melatonin and isoprothiolane synergistically interfered with lipid metabolism by regulating many common targets, including the predicted isocitrate lyase-encoding gene MoICL1. Furthermore, using different techniques, we show that melatonin and isoprothiolane interact with MoIcl1. This study demonstrates that melatonin and isoprothiolane function synergistically and can be used to reduce the dosage and residual level of isoprothiolane, potentially contributing to the environment-friendly and sustainable control of crop diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiqing Bi
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Renjian Li
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhenyi Xu
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Huanyu Cai
- College of Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Juan Zhao
- College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Development and Utilization of Characteristic Horticultural Biological Resources, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yaru Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Bangting Wu
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Peng Sun
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lu Zheng
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chao-Xi Luo
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Science & Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Huailong Teng
- College of Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qiang Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Guotian Li
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Hubei Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, The Center for Crop Nanobiotechnology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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6
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Seelig J, Seelig A. Protein Stability─Analysis of Heat and Cold Denaturation without and with Unfolding Models. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:3352-3363. [PMID: 37040567 PMCID: PMC10123674 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c00882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Protein stability is important in many areas of life sciences. Thermal protein unfolding is investigated extensively with various spectroscopic techniques. The extraction of thermodynamic properties from these measurements requires the application of models. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is less common, but is unique as it measures directly a thermodynamic property, that is, the heat capacity Cp(T). The analysis of Cp(T) is usually performed with the chemical equilibrium two-state model. This is not necessary and leads to incorrect thermodynamic consequences. Here we demonstrate a straightforward model-independent evaluation of heat capacity experiments in terms of protein unfolding enthalpy ΔH(T), entropy ΔS(T), and free energy ΔG(T)). This now allows the comparison of the experimental thermodynamic data with the predictions of different models. We critically examined the standard chemical equilibrium two-state model, which predicts a positive free energy for the native protein, and diverges distinctly from the experimental temperature profiles. We propose two new models which are equally applicable to spectroscopy and calorimetry. The ΘU(T)-weighted chemical equilibrium model and the statistical-mechanical two-state model provide excellent fits of the experimental data. They predict sigmoidal temperature profiles for enthalpy and entropy, and a trapezoidal temperature profile for the free energy. This is illustrated with experimental examples for heat and cold denaturation of lysozyme and β-lactoglobulin. We then show that the free energy is not a good criterion to judge protein stability. More useful parameters are discussed, including protein cooperativity. The new parameters are embedded in a well-defined thermodynamic context and are amenable to molecular dynamics calculations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Seelig
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anna Seelig
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
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7
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Kopp MRG, Grigolato F, Zürcher D, Das TK, Chou D, Wuchner K, Arosio P. Surface-Induced Protein Aggregation and Particle Formation in Biologics: Current Understanding of Mechanisms, Detection and Mitigation Strategies. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:377-385. [PMID: 36223809 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2022.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Protein stability against aggregation is a major quality concern for the production of safe and effective biopharmaceuticals. Amongst the different drivers of protein aggregation, increasing evidence indicates that interactions between proteins and interfaces represent a major risk factor for the formation of protein aggregates in aqueous solutions. Potentially harmful surfaces relevant to biologics manufacturing and storage include air-water and silicone oil-water interfaces as well as materials from different processing units, storage containers, and delivery devices. The impact of some of these surfaces, for instance originating from impurities, can be difficult to predict and control. Moreover, aggregate formation may additionally be complicated by the simultaneous presence of interfacial, hydrodynamic and mechanical stresses, whose contributions may be difficult to deconvolute. As a consequence, it remains difficult to identify the key chemical and physical determinants and define appropriate analytical methods to monitor and predict protein instability at these interfaces. In this review, we first discuss the main mechanisms of surface-induced protein aggregation. We then review the types of contact materials identified as potentially harmful or detected as potential triggers of proteinaceous particle formation in formulations and discuss proposed mitigation strategies. Finally, we present current methods to probe surface-induced instabilities, which represent a starting point towards assays that can be implemented in early-stage screening and formulation development of biologics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie R G Kopp
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fulvio Grigolato
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Zürcher
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Paolo Arosio
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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8
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Svilenov HL, Arosio P, Menzen T, Tessier P, Sormanni P. Approaches to expand the conventional toolbox for discovery and selection of antibodies with drug-like physicochemical properties. MAbs 2023; 15:2164459. [PMID: 36629855 PMCID: PMC9839375 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2022.2164459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody drugs should exhibit not only high-binding affinity for their target antigens but also favorable physicochemical drug-like properties. Such drug-like biophysical properties are essential for the successful development of antibody drug products. The traditional approaches used in antibody drug development require significant experimentation to produce, optimize, and characterize many candidates. Therefore, it is attractive to integrate new methods that can optimize the process of selecting antibodies with both desired target-binding and drug-like biophysical properties. Here, we summarize a selection of techniques that can complement the conventional toolbox used to de-risk antibody drug development. These techniques can be integrated at different stages of the antibody development process to reduce the frequency of physicochemical liabilities in antibody libraries during initial discovery and to co-optimize multiple antibody features during early-stage antibody engineering and affinity maturation. Moreover, we highlight biophysical and computational approaches that can be used to predict physical degradation pathways relevant for long-term storage and in-use stability to reduce the need for extensive experimentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hristo L. Svilenov
- Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Paolo Arosio
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tim Menzen
- Coriolis Pharma Research GmbH, Martinsried, 82152, Germany
| | - Peter Tessier
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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9
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Barthels F, Hammerschmidt SJ, Fischer TR, Zimmer C, Kallert E, Helm M, Kersten C, Schirmeister T. A low-cost 3D-printable differential scanning fluorometer for protein and RNA melting experiments. HARDWAREX 2022; 11:e00256. [PMID: 35509940 PMCID: PMC9058602 DOI: 10.1016/j.ohx.2022.e00256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) is a widely used biophysical technique with applications to drug discovery and protein biochemistry. DSF experiments are commonly performed in commercial real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) thermal cyclers or nanoDSF instruments. Here, we report the construction, validation, and example applications of an open-source DSF system for 176 €, which, in addition to protein-DSF experiments, also proved to be a versatile biophysical instrument for less conventional RNA-DSF experiments. Using 3D-printed parts made of polyoxymethylene, we were able to fabricate a thermostable machine chassis for protein-melting experiments. The combination of blue high-power LEDs as the light source and stage light foil as filter components was proven to be a reliable and affordable alternative to conventional optics equipment for the detection of SYPRO Orange or Sybr Gold fluorescence. The ESP32 microcontroller is the core piece of this openDSF instrument, while the in-built I2S interface was found to be a powerful analog-to-digital converter for fast acquisition of fluorescence and temperature data. Airflow heating and inline temperature control by thermistors enabled high-accuracy temperature management in PCR tubes (±0.1 °C) allowing us to perform high-resolution thermal shift assays (TSA) from exemplary biological applications.
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10
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Kunz P. Assessing the Aggregation Propensity of Single-Domain Antibodies upon Heat-Denaturation Employing the ΔT m Shift. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2446:233-244. [PMID: 35157276 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2075-5_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nano differential scanning fluorimetry is used to quantify protein thermostability and has substantially expanded the spectrum of convenient biophysical parameters used to characterize proteins. Here, this technique is used to measure the ΔTm shift for single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), which represents a comprehensive metric for the aggregation propensity of sdAbs upon heat-denaturation. By relating two melting curves at different protein concentrations, the ΔTm shift described in this protocol is ideally suited for high-throughput measurements to guide protein engineering, formulation development, and developability assessment of sdAbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Kunz
- Coriolis Pharma Research GmbH, Martinsried, Germany.
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11
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Neyra C, Clénet D, Bright M, Kensinger R, Hauser S. Predictive modeling for assessing the long-term thermal stability of a new fully-liquid quadrivalent meningococcal tetanus toxoid conjugated vaccine. Int J Pharm 2021; 609:121143. [PMID: 34600051 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Establishing product stability is critical for pharmaceuticals. We used a modeling approach to predict the thermal stability of a fully-liquid quadrivalent meningococcal (serogroups A, C, W, Y) conjugate vaccine (MenACYW-TT; MenQuadfi®) at potential transportation and storage temperatures. Vaccine degradation was determined by measuring the rate of hydrolysis through an increase of free polysaccharide (de-conjugated or unconjugated polysaccharide) content during six months storage at 25 °C, 45 °C and 56 °C. A procedure combining advanced kinetics and statistics was used to screen and compare kinetic models describing observed free polysaccharide increase as a function of time and temperature for each serogroup. Statistical analyses were used to quantify prediction accuracy. A two-step kinetic model described the increase in free polysaccharide content for serogroup A; whereas, one-step kinetic models were found suitable to describe the other serogroups. The models were used to predict free polysaccharide increases for each serogroup during long-term storage under recommended conditions (2-8 °C), and during temperature excursions to 25 °C or 40 °C. In both cases, serogroup-specific simulations accurately predict the respective observed experimental data. Experimental data collected to 48 months at 5 °C were within 99% predictive bands. The models described here can be used with confidence to establish shelf-life for this fully-liquid quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine; as well as, monitor in real-time free polysaccharide increase for vaccines experiencing temperature excursions during shipment/storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Neyra
- Manufacturing Technology Department, Sanofi Pasteur, Swiftwater, PA, USA.
| | - Didier Clénet
- Bioprocess R&D Department, Sanofi Pasteur, Marcy l'Etoile, France.
| | - Marcia Bright
- Quality Control Stability, Sanofi Pasteur, Swiftwater, PA, USA.
| | | | - Steven Hauser
- Manufacturing Technology Department, Sanofi Pasteur, Swiftwater, PA, USA.
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12
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Abstract
Differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) using the inherent fluorescence of proteins (nDSF) is a popular technique to evaluate thermal protein stability in different conditions (e.g. buffer, pH). In many cases, ligand binding increases thermal stability of a protein and often this can be detected as a clear shift in nDSF experiments. Here, we evaluate binding affinity quantification based on thermal shifts. We present four protein systems with different binding affinity ligands, ranging from nM to high μM. Our study suggests that binding affinities determined by isothermal analysis are in better agreement with those from established biophysical techniques (ITC and MST) compared to apparent Kds obtained from melting temperatures. In addition, we describe a method to optionally fit the heat capacity change upon unfolding (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\Delta {C}_{p}$$\end{document}ΔCp) during the isothermal analysis. This publication includes the release of a web server for easy and accessible application of isothermal analysis to nDSF data.
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13
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Berner C, Menzen T, Winter G, Svilenov HL. Combining Unfolding Reversibility Studies and Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Select Aggregation-Resistant Antibodies. Mol Pharm 2021; 18:2242-2253. [PMID: 33928776 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The efficient development of new therapeutic antibodies relies on developability assessment with biophysical and computational methods to find molecules with drug-like properties such as resistance to aggregation. Despite the many novel approaches to select well-behaved proteins, antibody aggregation during storage is still challenging to predict. For this reason, there is a high demand for methods that can identify aggregation-resistant antibodies. Here, we show that three straightforward techniques can select the aggregation-resistant antibodies from a dataset with 13 molecules. The ReFOLD assay provided information about the ability of the antibodies to refold to monomers after unfolding with chemical denaturants. Modulated scanning fluorimetry (MSF) yielded the temperatures that start causing irreversible unfolding of the proteins. Aggregation was the main reason for poor unfolding reversibility in both ReFOLD and MSF experiments. We therefore performed temperature ramps in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to obtain partially unfolded antibody domains in silico and used CamSol to assess their aggregation potential. We compared the information from ReFOLD, MSF, and MD to size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) data that shows whether the antibodies aggregated during storage at 4, 25, and 40 °C. Contrary to the aggregation-prone molecules, the antibodies that were resistant to aggregation during storage at 40 °C shared three common features: (i) higher tendency to refold to monomers after unfolding with chemical denaturants, (ii) higher onset temperature of nonreversible unfolding, and (iii) unfolding of regions containing aggregation-prone sequences at higher temperatures in MD simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Berner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Tim Menzen
- Coriolis Pharma Research GmbH, Fraunhoferstr. 18 b, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Gerhard Winter
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Hristo L Svilenov
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
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