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Pignataro MF, Herrera MG, Fernández NB, Aran M, Gentili HG, Battaglini F, Santos J. Selection of synthetic proteins to modulate the human frataxin function. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:409-425. [PMID: 36225115 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28263] [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: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Frataxin is a kinetic activator of the mitochondrial supercomplex for iron-sulfur cluster assembly. Low frataxin expression or a decrease in its functionality results in Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA). With the aim of creating new molecular tools to study this metabolic pathway, and ultimately, to explore new therapeutic strategies, we have investigated the possibility of obtaining small proteins exhibiting a high affinity for frataxin. In this study, we applied the ribosome display approach, using human frataxin as the target. We focused on Affi_224, one of the proteins that we were able to select after five rounds of selection. We have studied the interaction between both proteins and discussed some applications of this specific molecular tutor, concerning the modulation of the supercomplex activity. Affi_224 and frataxin showed a KD value in the nanomolar range, as judged by surface plasmon resonance analysis. Most likely, it binds to the frataxin acidic ridge, as suggested by the analysis of chemical shift perturbations (nuclear magnetic resonance) and computational simulations. Affi_224 was able to increase Cys NFS1 desulfurase activation exerted by the FRDA frataxin variant G130V. Importantly, Affi_224 interacts with frataxin in a human cellular model. Our results suggest quaternary addition may be a new tool to modulate frataxin function in vivo. Nevertheless, more functional experiments under physiological conditions should be carried out to evaluate Affi_224 effectiveness in FRDA cell models.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Florencia Pignataro
- Departamento de Fisiología y Biología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Biociencias, Biotecnología y Biología Traslacional (iB3), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Georgina Herrera
- Departamento de Fisiología y Biología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Biociencias, Biotecnología y Biología Traslacional (iB3), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Natalia Brenda Fernández
- Departamento de Fisiología y Biología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Biociencias, Biotecnología y Biología Traslacional (iB3), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martín Aran
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Fundación Instituto Leloir, IIBBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Hernán Gustavo Gentili
- Departamento de Fisiología y Biología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Biociencias, Biotecnología y Biología Traslacional (iB3), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Fernando Battaglini
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Química Física de los Materiales, Medio Ambiente y Energía (INQUIMAE CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Javier Santos
- Departamento de Fisiología y Biología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Biociencias, Biotecnología y Biología Traslacional (iB3), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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2
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Miranda A, Lopez-Blanco R, Lopes-Nunes J, Melo AM, Campello MPC, Paulo A, Oliveira MC, Mergny JL, Oliveira PA, Fernandez-Megia E, Cruz C. Gallic Acid-Triethylene Glycol Aptadendrimers Synthesis, Biophysical Characterization and Cellular Evaluation. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14112456. [PMID: 36432647 PMCID: PMC9696068 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14112456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein, we describe the synthesis of an aptadendrimer by covalent bioconjugation of a gallic acid-triethylene glycol (GATG) dendrimer with the G-quadruplex (G4) AT11 aptamer (a modified version of AS1411) at the surface. We evaluated the loading and interaction of an acridine orange ligand, termed C8, that acts as an anticancer drug and binder/stabilizer of the G4 structure of AT11. Dynamic light scattering experiments demonstrated that the aptadendrimer was approximately 3.1 nm in diameter. Both steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy evidenced the interaction between the aptadendrimer and C8. Additionally, we demonstrated that the iodine atom of the C8 ligand acts as an effective intramolecular quencher in solution, while upon complexation with the aptadendrimer, it adopts a more extended conformation. Docking studies support this conclusion. Release experiments show a delivery of C8 after 4 h. The aptadendrimers tend to localize in the cytoplasm of various cell lines studied as demonstrated by confocal microscopy. The internalization of the aptadendrimers is not nucleolin-mediated or by passive diffusion, but via endocytosis. MTT studies with prostate cancer cells and non-malignant cells evidenced high cytotoxicity mainly due to the C8 ligand. The rapid internalization of the aptadendrimers and the fluorescence properties make them attractive for the development of potential nanocarriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Miranda
- CICS-UBI—Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Roi Lopez-Blanco
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Jenaro de la Fuente s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Jéssica Lopes-Nunes
- CICS-UBI—Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ana M. Melo
- iBB—Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria Paula Cabral Campello
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, Portugal
- Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, Portugal
| | - António Paulo
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, Portugal
- Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, Portugal
| | - Maria Cristina Oliveira
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, Portugal
- Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139.7), 2695-066 Bobadela, Portugal
| | - Jean-Louis Mergny
- Laboratoire d’Optique et Biosciences, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91128 Palaiseau, France
| | - Paula A. Oliveira
- Centre for Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), Inov4Agro, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Megia
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Jenaro de la Fuente s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Correspondence: (E.F.-M.); (C.C.)
| | - Carla Cruz
- CICS-UBI—Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6201-506 Covilhã, Portugal
- Departamento de Química, Universidade da Beira Interior, Rua Marquês de Ávila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
- Correspondence: (E.F.-M.); (C.C.)
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Shipunova VO, Deyev SM. Artificial Scaffold Polypeptides As an Efficient Tool for the Targeted Delivery of Nanostructures In Vitro and In Vivo. Acta Naturae 2022; 14:54-72. [PMID: 35441046 PMCID: PMC9013437 DOI: 10.32607/actanaturae.11545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of traditional tools for the targeted delivery of nanostructures, such as antibodies, transferrin, lectins, or aptamers, often leads to an entire range of undesirable effects. The large size of antibodies often does not allow one to reach the required number of molecules on the surface of nanostructures during modification, and the constant domains of heavy chains, due to their effector functions, can induce phagocytosis. In the recent two decades, targeted polypeptide scaffold molecules of a non-immunoglobulin nature, antibody mimetics, have emerged as much more effective targeting tools. They are small in size (3-20 kDa), possess high affinity (from subnano- to femtomolar binding constants), low immunogenicity, and exceptional thermodynamic stability. These molecules can be effectively produced in bacterial cells, and, using genetic engineering manipulations, it is possible to create multispecific fusion proteins for the targeting of nanoparticles to cells with a given molecular portrait, which makes scaffold polypeptides an optimal tool for theranostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- V. O. Shipunova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117997 Russia
| | - S. M. Deyev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117997 Russia
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4
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Mouratou B, Pecorari F. Application of Affitins for Affinity Purification of Proteins. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2466:37-48. [PMID: 35585309 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2176-9_3] [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] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Affinity chromatography is a powerful purification technique, as it allows proteins of interest to be obtained at a high degree of purity in a single step. This technique can be applied on a research laboratory scale as well as on an industrial scale. The interaction involved in affinity separation most often involves a natural ligand or an antibody specific for the protein of interest, or the recognition of a peptide tag artificially added to the recombinant protein. Unfortunately, natural ligands are not always available and it may be undesirable or impossible to add a purification tag, especially for the production of therapeutic proteins. We have developed Affitins as a new class of artificial affinity proteins that can be generated against virtually any protein of interest. Due to their very high selectivity, their remarkable robustness against extreme acid or alkaline conditions and their low production cost, Affitins are particularly suited to this technique. We describe here the production of Affitins and their immobilization on resin beads to prepare affinity chromatography columns. The protocol also describes the use of these columns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Mouratou
- Nantes Université, Univ Angers, INSERM, CNRS, Immunology and New Concepts in ImmunoTherapy, INCIT, UMR 1302/EMR6001, Nantes, France
| | - Frédéric Pecorari
- Nantes Université, Univ Angers, INSERM, CNRS, Immunology and New Concepts in ImmunoTherapy, INCIT, UMR 1302/EMR6001, Nantes, France.
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5
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Navas Guimaraes M, Lopez-Blanco R, Correa J, Fernandez-Villamarin M, Bistué MB, Martino-Adami P, Morelli L, Kumar V, Wempe MF, Cuello AC, Fernandez-Megia E, Bruno MA. Liver X Receptor Activation with an Intranasal Polymer Therapeutic Prevents Cognitive Decline without Altering Lipid Levels. ACS NANO 2021; 15:4678-4687. [PMID: 33666411 PMCID: PMC8488954 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c09159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The progressive accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) in specific areas of the brain is a common prelude to late-onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although activation of liver X receptors (LXR) with agonists decreases Aβ levels and ameliorates contextual memory deficit, concomitant hypercholesterolemia/hypertriglyceridemia limits their clinical application. DMHCA (N,N-dimethyl-3β-hydroxycholenamide) is an LXR partial agonist that, despite inducing the expression of apolipoprotein E (main responsible of Aβ drainage from the brain) without increasing cholesterol/triglyceride levels, shows nil activity in vivo because of a low solubility and inability to cross the blood brain barrier. Herein, we describe a polymer therapeutic for the delivery of DMHCA. The covalent incorporation of DMHCA into a PEG-dendritic scaffold via carboxylate esters produces an amphiphilic copolymer that efficiently self-assembles into nanometric micelles that exert a biological effect in primary cultures of the central nervous system (CNS) and experimental animals using the intranasal route. After CNS biodistribution and effective doses of DMHCA micelles were determined in nontransgenic mice, a transgenic AD-like mouse model of cerebral amyloidosis was treated with the micelles for 21 days. The benefits of the treatment included prevention of memory deterioration and a significant reduction of hippocampal Aβ oligomers without affecting plasma lipid levels. These results represent a proof of principle for further clinical developments of DMHCA delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- María
Eugenia Navas Guimaraes
- Instituto
de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Cuyo, Av. José Ignacio de la Roza
1516, Rivadavia, 5400, San Juan, Argentina
- National
Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290, C1425FQB Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Roi Lopez-Blanco
- Centro
Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica
e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) and Departamento de Química
Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago
de Compostela, Jenaro de la Fuente s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Juan Correa
- Centro
Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica
e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) and Departamento de Química
Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago
de Compostela, Jenaro de la Fuente s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Marcos Fernandez-Villamarin
- Centro
Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica
e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) and Departamento de Química
Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago
de Compostela, Jenaro de la Fuente s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - María Beatriz Bistué
- Instituto
de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Cuyo, Av. José Ignacio de la Roza
1516, Rivadavia, 5400, San Juan, Argentina
| | - Pamela Martino-Adami
- Laboratory
of Brain Aging and Neurodegeneration, Fundación
Instituto Leloir, IIBBA-CONICET, Av. Patricias Argentinas 435 C1405BWE, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura Morelli
- Laboratory
of Brain Aging and Neurodegeneration, Fundación
Instituto Leloir, IIBBA-CONICET, Av. Patricias Argentinas 435 C1405BWE, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vijay Kumar
- School
of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado 80045 United States
| | - Michael F. Wempe
- School
of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado 80045 United States
| | - A. C. Cuello
- Department
of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill
University, McIntyre
Medical Building 3655 Prom. Sir-William-Osler, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Megia
- Centro
Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica
e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) and Departamento de Química
Orgánica, Universidade de Santiago
de Compostela, Jenaro de la Fuente s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Eduardo Fernandez-Megia,
| | - Martin A. Bruno
- Instituto
de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Cuyo, Av. José Ignacio de la Roza
1516, Rivadavia, 5400, San Juan, Argentina
- National
Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290, C1425FQB Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires Argentina
- Martin A. Bruno,
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Characterization of Affitin proteolytic digestion in biorelevant media and improvement of their stabilities via protein engineering. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19703. [PMID: 33184451 PMCID: PMC7661517 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76855-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Affitins are a novel class of small 7 kDa artificial proteins which can be used as antibody substitutes in therapeutic, diagnostic and biotechnological applications. One challenge for this type of protein agent is their behaviour in the context of oral administration. The digestive system is central, and biorelevant media have fast emerged as relevant and reliable tools for evaluating the bioavailability of drugs. This study describes, for the first time, the stability of Affitins under simulated gastric and intestinal digestion conditions. Affitins appear to be degraded into stable fragments in in vitro gastric medium. We identified cleavage sites generated by pepsin that were silenced by site-directed mutagenesis. This protein engineering allowed us to enhance Affitin properties. We showed that a mutant M1 containing a double mutation of amino acid residues 6 and 7 in H4 and C3 Affitins acquired a resistance against proteolytic digestion. In addition, these mutations were beneficial for target affinity, as well as for production yield. Finally, we found that the mutated residues kept or increased the important pH and temperature stabilities of Affitins. These improvements are particularly sought after in the development of engineered binding proteins for research tools, preclinical studies and clinical applications.
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7
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Abstract
Engineered protein scaffolds have made a tremendous contribution to the panel of affinity tools owing to their favorable biophysical properties that make them useful for many applications. In 2007, our group paved the way for using archaeal Sul7d proteins for the design of artificial affinity ligands, so-called Affitins. For many years, Sac7d and Sso7d have been used as molecular basis to obtain binders for various targets. Recently, we characterized their old gifted protein family and identified Aho7c, originating from Acidianus hospitalis, as the shortest member (60 amino-acids) with impressive stability (96.5 °C, pH 0-12). Here, we describe the construction of Aho7c combinatorial libraries and their use for selection of binders by ribosome display.
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8
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Lopez-Blanco R, Fernandez-Villamarin M, Jatunov S, Novoa-Carballal R, Fernandez-Megia E. Polysaccharides meet dendrimers to fine-tune the stability and release properties of polyion complex micelles. Polym Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1039/c9py00727j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Dendritic-polysaccharide PIC micelles represent promising delivery systems where dendritic rigidity and polysaccharide stiffness synchronize to determine the stability of the micelles, their kinetics of intracellular drug release, and cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roi Lopez-Blanco
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) and Departamento de Química Orgánica
- Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
- 15782 Santiago de Compostela
- Spain
| | - Marcos Fernandez-Villamarin
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) and Departamento de Química Orgánica
- Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
- 15782 Santiago de Compostela
- Spain
| | - Sorel Jatunov
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) and Departamento de Química Orgánica
- Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
- 15782 Santiago de Compostela
- Spain
| | - Ramon Novoa-Carballal
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) and Departamento de Química Orgánica
- Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
- 15782 Santiago de Compostela
- Spain
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Megia
- Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) and Departamento de Química Orgánica
- Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
- 15782 Santiago de Compostela
- Spain
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