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Viola G, Trivellato D, Meulli L, Tira R, Lauriola A, Munari F, Montagnana M, Buffelli M, Assfalg M, D'Onofrio M. Stable ubiquitin conjugation for biological interrogation of ubiquitinated tau repeat domain. Bioorg Chem 2024; 150:107549. [PMID: 38896934 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107549] [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: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Protein semisynthesis approaches are key for gaining insights into the effects of post-translational modifications (PTMs) on the structure and function of modified proteins. Among PTMs, ubiquitination involves the conjugation of a small protein modifier to a substrate amino acid residue and is unique in controlling a variety of cellular processes. Interest has grown in understanding the role of ubiquitination in neurodegenerative conditions, including tauopathies. The latter are characterized by the accumulation of the intrinsically disordered protein tau in the form of neurofibrillary tangles in the brains of patients. The presence of ubiquitinated tau in the pathological aggregates suggests that ubiquitination might play a role in the formation of abnormal protein deposits. In this study, we developed a new strategy, based on dehydroalanine chemistry, to install wild type ubiquitin on a tau repeat domain construct with site-specificity. We optimized a three-step reaction which yielded a good amount of highly pure tau repeat domain ubiquitinated in position 353. The structural features of the conjugate were examined by circular dichroism and NMR spectroscopy. The ubiquitinated tau was challenged in a number of assays: fibrils formation under aggregating conditions in vitro, chemical stability upon exposure to a variety of biological media including cell extracts, and internalization into astrocytes. The results demonstrated the wide applicability of the new semisynthetic strategy for the investigation of ubiquitinated substrates in vitro or in cell, and in particular for studying if ubiquitination has a role in the molecular mechanisms that underlie the aberrant transition of tau into pathological aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Viola
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | | | - Lorenzo Meulli
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Tira
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Angela Lauriola
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Francesca Munari
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Martina Montagnana
- Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Mario Buffelli
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Michael Assfalg
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
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2
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Vogl DP, Mateos B, Migotti M, Felkl M, Conibear AC, Konrat R, Becker CFW. Semisynthesis of segmentally isotope-labeled and site-specifically palmitoylated CD44 cytoplasmic tail. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 100:117617. [PMID: 38306881 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117617] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
CD44, a ubiquitously expressed transmembrane receptor, plays a crucial role in cell growth, migration, and tumor progression. Dimerization of CD44 is a key event in signal transduction and has emerged as a potential target for anti-tumor therapies. Palmitoylation, a posttranslational modification, disrupts CD44 dimerization and promotes CD44 accumulation in ordered membrane domains. However, the effects of palmitoylation on the structure and dynamics of CD44 at atomic resolution remain poorly understood. Here, we present a semisynthetic approach combining solid-phase peptide synthesis, recombinant expression, and native chemical ligation to investigate the impact of palmitoylation on the cytoplasmic domain (residues 669-742) of CD44 (CD44ct) by NMR spectroscopy. A segmentally isotope-labeled and site-specifically palmitoylated CD44 variant enabled NMR studies, which revealed chemical shift perturbations and indicated local and long-range conformational changes induced by palmitoylation. The long-range effects suggest altered intramolecular interactions and potential modulation of membrane association patterns. Semisynthetic, palmitoylated CD44ct serves as the basis for studying CD44 clustering, conformational changes, and localization within lipid rafts, and could be used to investigate its role as a tumor suppressor and to explore its therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik P Vogl
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Währinger Str. 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria; University of Vienna, Vienna Doctoral School in Chemistry (DoSChem), Währinger Str. 42, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Borja Mateos
- Max Perutz Laboratories, Vienna Biocenter Campus 5, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Mario Migotti
- Max Perutz Laboratories, Vienna Biocenter Campus 5, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Vienna BioCenter PhD Program, Doctoral School of the University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Manuel Felkl
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Währinger Str. 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anne C Conibear
- TU Wien, Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert Konrat
- Max Perutz Laboratories, Vienna Biocenter Campus 5, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian F W Becker
- University of Vienna, Vienna Doctoral School in Chemistry (DoSChem), Währinger Str. 42, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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3
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Mukherjee S, Vogl DP, Becker CFW. Site-Specific Glycation of Human Heat Shock Protein (Hsp27) Enhances Its Chaperone Activity. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:1760-1771. [PMID: 37449780 PMCID: PMC10442856 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Non-enzymatic posttranslational modifications are believed to affect at least 30% of human proteins, commonly termed glycation. Many of these modifications are implicated in various pathological conditions, e.g., cataract, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Chemical protein synthesis enables access to full-length proteins carrying site-specific modifications. One such modification, argpyrimidine (Apy), has been detected in human small heat shock protein Hsp27 and closely related proteins in patient-derived tissues. Thus far, studies have looked into only artificial mixtures of Apy modifications, and only one has analyzed Apy188. We were interested in understanding the impact of such individual Apy modifications on five different arginine sites within the crucial N-terminal domain of Hsp27. By combining protein semisynthesis with biochemical assays on semisynthetic Hsp27 analogues with single-point Apy modification at those sites, we have shown how a seemingly minimal modification within this region results in dramatically altered functional attributes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somnath Mukherjee
- University
of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute
of Biological Chemistry, Währinger Strasse 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dominik P. Vogl
- University
of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute
of Biological Chemistry, Währinger Strasse 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Vienna
Doctoral School in Chemistry, Währinger Strasse 42, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian F. W. Becker
- University
of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute
of Biological Chemistry, Währinger Strasse 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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4
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Azatian SB, Canny MD, Latham MP. Three segment ligation of a 104 kDa multi-domain protein by SrtA and OaAEP1. JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR NMR 2023; 77:25-37. [PMID: 36539644 PMCID: PMC10149453 DOI: 10.1007/s10858-022-00409-w] [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: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
NMR spectroscopy is an excellent tool for studying protein structure and dynamics which provides a deeper understanding of biological function. As the size of the biomolecule of interest increases, it can become advantageous to dilute the number of observed signals in the NMR spectrum to decrease spectral overlap and increase resolution. One way to limit the number of resonances in the NMR data is by selectively labeling a smaller domain within the larger macromolecule, a process called segmental isotopic labeling. Many examples of segmental isotopic labeling have been described where two segments of a protein are ligated together by chemical or enzymatic means, but there are far fewer descriptions of a three or more segment ligation reaction. Herein, we describe an enzymatic segmental labeling scheme that combines the widely used Sortase A and more recently described OaAEP1 for a two site ligation strategy. In preparation to study proposed long-range allostery in the 104 kDa DNA damage repair protein Rad50, we ligated side-chain methyl group labeled Zn Hook domain between two long segments of otherwise unlabeled P.furiosus Rad50. Enzymatic activity data demonstrated that the scars resulting from the ligation reactions did not affect Rad50 function within the Mre11-Rad50 DNA double strand break repair complex. Finally, methyl-based NMR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of the full-length ligated protein. Our strategy highlights the strengths of OaAEP1 for segmental labeling, namely faster reaction times and a smaller recognition sequence, and provides a straightforward template for using these two enzymes in multisite segmental labeling reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan B Azatian
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Marella D Canny
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Michael P Latham
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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5
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Kim S, Ho Lee J, Jarusiewicz J, Wang J, Woon Jung K. Hydrogen‐Deuterium Isotope Exchange of Methane via Non‐redox Palladium Catalysis. Eur J Inorg Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ejic.202200615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sungah Kim
- Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute and Department of Chemistry University of Southern California Los Angeles USA
| | - Joo Ho Lee
- Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute and Department of Chemistry University of Southern California Los Angeles USA
| | - Jamie Jarusiewicz
- Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute and Department of Chemistry University of Southern California Los Angeles USA
| | - Jen‐Chieh Wang
- Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute and Department of Chemistry University of Southern California Los Angeles USA
| | - Kyung Woon Jung
- Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute and Department of Chemistry University of Southern California Los Angeles USA
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Tanaka S, Narumi T, Mase N, Sato K. Hydrazide-Mediated Solubilizing Strategy for Poorly Soluble Peptides Using a Dialkoxybenzaldehyde Linker. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2022; 70:707-715. [PMID: 36184453 DOI: 10.1248/cpb.c22-00501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Proteins modified in a controlled manner with artificial moieties such as fluorophores or affinity tags have been shown to be a powerful tool for functional or structural analysis of proteins. A reliable way to prepare proteins with a well-defined modification is protein synthesis. Although many successful syntheses have been reported, the poor aqueous solubility of synthetic intermediates causes difficulty in the chemical synthesis of proteins. Here we describe a solubilizing strategy for poorly soluble peptides which uses chemoselective incorporation of a hydrophilic tag onto a hydrazide in a peptide. We found that a hydrophilic tag possessing a dialkoxybenzaldehyde moiety can react with peptide hydrazides through reductive N-alkylation. No protecting groups are required for this reaction, and peptides modified in this way show enhanced solubility and consequently good peak separation during HPLC purification. The tag can be removed subsequently by treatment with trifluoroacetic acid to generate a free hydrazide, which can be converted in a one-pot reaction to a thioester for further modification. This method was validated by synthesis of a Lys63-linked ubiquitin dimer derivative. This late-stage solubilization can be applied in principal to any peptide and opens the possibility of the synthesis of proteins that have previously been considered inaccessible due to their poor solubility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoko Tanaka
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University
| | - Tetsuo Narumi
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University.,Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University.,Research Institute of Green Science and Technology, Shizuoka University
| | - Nobuyuki Mase
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University.,Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University.,Research Institute of Green Science and Technology, Shizuoka University
| | - Kohei Sato
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University.,Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University.,Research Institute of Green Science and Technology, Shizuoka University
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Clark ET, Sievers EE, Debelouchina GT. A Chemical Biology Primer for NMR Spectroscopists. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE OPEN 2022; 10-11:100044. [PMID: 35494416 PMCID: PMC9053072 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmro.2022.100044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Among structural biology techniques, NMR spectroscopy offers unique capabilities that enable the atomic resolution studies of dynamic and heterogeneous biological systems under physiological and native conditions. Complex biological systems, however, often challenge NMR spectroscopists with their low sensitivity, crowded spectra or large linewidths that reflect their intricate interaction patterns and dynamics. While some of these challenges can be overcome with the development of new spectroscopic approaches, chemical biology can also offer elegant and efficient solutions at the sample preparation stage. In this tutorial, we aim to present several chemical biology tools that enable the preparation of selectively and segmentally labeled protein samples, as well as the introduction of site-specific spectroscopic probes and post-translational modifications. The four tools covered here, namely cysteine chemistry, inteins, native chemical ligation, and unnatural amino acid incorporation, have been developed and optimized in recent years to be more efficient and applicable to a wider range of proteins than ever before. We briefly introduce each tool, describe its advantages and disadvantages in the context of NMR experiments, and offer practical advice for sample preparation and analysis. We hope that this tutorial will introduce beginning researchers in the field to the possibilities chemical biology can offer to NMR spectroscopists, and that it will inspire new and exciting applications in the quest to understand protein function in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan T. Clark
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Division of Physical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Elanor E. Sievers
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Division of Physical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
| | - Galia T. Debelouchina
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Division of Physical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A
- Corresponding author: Galia Debelouchina, University of California, San Diego, Natural Sciences Building 4322, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, 858-534-3038,
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Landrieu I, Dupré E, Sinnaeve D, El Hajjar L, Smet-Nocca C. Deciphering the Structure and Formation of Amyloids in Neurodegenerative Diseases With Chemical Biology Tools. Front Chem 2022; 10:886382. [PMID: 35646824 PMCID: PMC9133342 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.886382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation into highly ordered, regularly repeated cross-β sheet structures called amyloid fibrils is closely associated to human disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, or systemic diseases like type II diabetes. Yet, in some cases, such as the HET-s prion, amyloids have biological functions. High-resolution structures of amyloids fibrils from cryo-electron microscopy have very recently highlighted their ultrastructural organization and polymorphisms. However, the molecular mechanisms and the role of co-factors (posttranslational modifications, non-proteinaceous components and other proteins) acting on the fibril formation are still poorly understood. Whether amyloid fibrils play a toxic or protective role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases remains to be elucidated. Furthermore, such aberrant protein-protein interactions challenge the search of small-molecule drugs or immunotherapy approaches targeting amyloid formation. In this review, we describe how chemical biology tools contribute to new insights on the mode of action of amyloidogenic proteins and peptides, defining their structural signature and aggregation pathways by capturing their molecular details and conformational heterogeneity. Challenging the imagination of scientists, this constantly expanding field provides crucial tools to unravel mechanistic detail of amyloid formation such as semisynthetic proteins and small-molecule sensors of conformational changes and/or aggregation. Protein engineering methods and bioorthogonal chemistry for the introduction of protein chemical modifications are additional fruitful strategies to tackle the challenge of understanding amyloid formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Landrieu
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
| | - Elian Dupré
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
| | - Davy Sinnaeve
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
| | - Léa El Hajjar
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
| | - Caroline Smet-Nocca
- University Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1167 - RID-AGE - Risk Factors and Molecular Determinants of Aging-Related Diseases, Lille, France
- CNRS EMR9002 Integrative Structural Biology, Lille, France
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Schloßhauer JL, Cavak N, Zemella A, Thoring L, Kubick S. Cell Engineering and Cultivation of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells for the Development of Orthogonal Eukaryotic Cell-free Translation Systems. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:832379. [PMID: 35586195 PMCID: PMC9109823 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.832379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The investigation of protein structures, functions and interactions often requires modifications to adapt protein properties to the specific application. Among many possible methods to equip proteins with new chemical groups, the utilization of orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs enables the site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids at defined positions in the protein. The open nature of cell-free protein synthesis reactions provides an optimal environment, as the orthogonal components do not need to be transported across the cell membrane and the impact on cell viability is negligible. In the present work, it was shown that the expression of orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in CHO cells prior to cell disruption enhanced the modification of the pharmaceutically relevant adenosine A2a receptor. For this purpose, in complement to transient transfection of CHO cells, an approach based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology was selected to generate a translationally active cell lysate harboring endogenous orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey L. Schloßhauer
- Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Niño Cavak
- Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anne Zemella
- Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Lena Thoring
- Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stefan Kubick
- Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses (IZI-BB), Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Joint Faculty of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus –Senftenberg, The Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and the University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- *Correspondence: Stefan Kubick,
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