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Nguyen SN, Le SH, Ivanov DG, Ivetic N, Nazy I, Kaltashov IA. Structural Characterization of a Pathogenic Antibody Underlying Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT). Anal Chem 2024; 96:6209-6217. [PMID: 38607319 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c05253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a rare but dangerous side effect of adenoviral-vectored COVID-19 vaccines. VITT had been linked to production of autoantibodies recognizing platelet factor 4 (PF4). Here, we characterize anti-PF4 antibodies obtained from a VITT patient's blood. Intact mass measurements indicate that a significant fraction of these antibodies represent a limited number of clones. MS analysis of large antibody fragments (the light chain and the Fc/2 and Fd fragments of the heavy chain) confirms the monoclonal nature of this component of the anti-PF4 antibodies repertoire and reveals the presence of a mature complex biantennary N-glycan within the Fd segment. Peptide mapping using two complementary proteases and LC-MS/MS was used to determine the amino acid sequence of the entire light chain and over 98% of the heavy chain (excluding a short N-terminal segment). The sequence analysis allows the monoclonal antibody to be assigned to the IgG2 subclass and verifies that the light chain belongs to the λ-type. Incorporation of enzymatic de-N-glycosylation into the peptide mapping routine allows the N-glycan in the Fab region of the antibody to be localized to the framework 3 region of the VH domain. This novel N-glycosylation site is the result of a single mutation within the germline sequence. Peptide mapping also provides information on lower-abundance (polyclonal) components of the anti-PF4 antibody ensemble, revealing the presence of all four subclasses (IgG1-IgG4) and both types of the light chain (λ and κ). This case study demonstrates the power of combining the intact, middle-down, and bottom-up MS approaches for meaningful characterization of ultralow quantities of pathogenic antibodies extracted directly from patients' blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son N Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Si-Hung Le
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Daniil G Ivanov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Nikola Ivetic
- Department of Medicine, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Ishac Nazy
- Department of Medicine, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Igor A Kaltashov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
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Favaloro EJ. 2024 Eberhard F. Mammen Award Announcements: Part I-Most Popular Articles. Semin Thromb Hemost 2024. [PMID: 38458226 DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1782197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel J Favaloro
- Department of Haematology, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR), Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
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Favaloro EJ. Evolution of Hemostasis Testing: A Personal Reflection Covering over 40 Years of History. Semin Thromb Hemost 2024; 50:8-25. [PMID: 36731486 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1761487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
There is no certainty in change, other than change is certain. As Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis celebrates 50 years of publication, I felt it appropriate to reflect on my own 40-year plus scientific career. My career in the thrombosis and hemostasis field did not start until 1987, but the subsequent 35 years reflected a period of significant change in associated disease diagnostics. I started in the Westmead Hospital "coagulation laboratory" when staff were still performing manual clotting tests, using stopwatches, pipettes, test tubes, and a water bath, which we transported to the hospital outpatient department to run our weekly warfarin clinic. Several hemostasis instruments have come and gone, including the Coag-A-Mate X2, the ACL-300R, the MDA-180, the BCS XP, and several StaR Evolution analyzers. Some instruments remain, including the PFA-100, PFA-200, the AggRAM, the CS-5100, an AcuStar, a Hydrasys gel system, and two ACL-TOP 750s. We still have a water bath, but this is primarily used to defrost frozen samples, and manual clotting tests are only used to teach visiting medical students. We have migrated across several methodologies in the 45-year history of the local laboratory. Laurel gel rockets, used for several assays in the 1980s, were replaced with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay assays and most assays were eventually placed on automated instruments. Radio-isotopic assays, used in the 1980s, were replaced by an alternate safer method or else abandoned. Test numbers have increased markedly over time. The approximately 31,000 hemostasis assays performed at the Westmead-based laboratory in 1983 had become approximately 200,000 in 2022, a sixfold increase. Some 90,000 prothrombin times and activated partial thromboplastic times are now performed at this laboratory per year. Thrombophilia assays were added to the test repertoires over time, as were the tests to measure several anticoagulant drugs, most recently the direct oral anticoagulants. I hope my personal history, reflecting on the changes in hemostasis testing over my career to date in the field, is found to be of interest to the readership, and I hope they forgive any inaccuracies I have introduced in this reflection of the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel J Favaloro
- Department of Haematology, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR), Sydney Centres for Thrombosis and Haemostasis, NSW Health Pathology, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW Australia
- School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
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Wang JJ, van der Neut Kolfschoten M, Rutten L, Armour B, Tan CW, Chataway T, Bos R, Koornneef A, Abeywickrema P, Kapur R, Porcelijn L, Khalifa M, Sadi A, Bouchier P, Kourkouta E, Perkasa A, Kwaks T, Zahn R, Solforosi L, Gordon TP. Characterization of reverse-engineered anti-PF4 stereotypic antibodies derived from serum of patients with VITT. Blood 2024; 143:370-374. [PMID: 37976451 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2023021307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Jing Wang
- Department of Immunology, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
- Department of Immunology, SA Pathology, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | | | - Lucy Rutten
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bridie Armour
- Department of Immunology, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
- Department of Immunology, SA Pathology, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | - Chee Wee Tan
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Department of Hematology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Department of Hematology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Central Area Local Health Network, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Tim Chataway
- Flinders Proteomics Facility, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | - Rinke Bos
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Pravien Abeywickrema
- Structural & Protein Sciences, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA
| | - Rick Kapur
- Sanquin Research, Department of Experimental Immunohematology, and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Leendert Porcelijn
- Department of Immunohematology Diagnostics, Sanquin Diagnostic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Midia Khalifa
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ava Sadi
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Aditya Perkasa
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ted Kwaks
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Roland Zahn
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Tom P Gordon
- Department of Immunology, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
- Department of Immunology, SA Pathology, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
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Ivanov DG, Ivetic N, Du Y, Nguyen SN, Le SH, Favre D, Nazy I, Kaltashov IA. Reverse Engineering of a Pathogenic Antibody Reveals the Molecular Mechanism of Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:25203-25213. [PMID: 37949820 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The massive COVID-19 vaccine roll-out campaign illuminated a range of rare side effects, the most dangerous of which─vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT)─is caused by adenoviral (Ad)-vectored vaccines. VITT occurrence had been linked to the production of pathogenic antibodies that recognize an endogenous chemokine, platelet factor 4 (PF4). Mass spectrometry (MS)-based evaluation of the ensemble of anti-PF4 antibodies obtained from a VITT patient's blood indicates that the major component is a monoclonal antibody. Structural characterization of this antibody reveals several unusual characteristics, such as the presence of an N-glycan in the Fab segment and high density of acidic amino acid residues in the complementarity-determining regions. A recombinant version of this antibody (RVT1) was generated by transient expression in mammalian cells based on the newly determined sequence. It captures the key properties of VITT antibodies such as their ability to activate platelets in a PF4 concentration-dependent fashion. Homology modeling of the Fab segment reveals a well-defined polyanionic paratope, and the docking studies indicate that the polycationic segment of PF4 readily accommodates two Fab segments, cross-linking the antibodies to yield polymerized immune complexes. Their existence was verified with native MS by detecting assemblies as large as (RVT1)3(PF4)2, pointing out at FcγRIIa-mediated platelet activation as the molecular mechanism underlying VITT clinical manifestations. In addition to the high PF4 affinity, RVT1 readily binds other polycationic targets, indicating a polyreactive nature of this antibody. This surprising promiscuity not only sheds light on VITT etiology but also opens up a range of opportunities to manage this pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniil G Ivanov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Nikola Ivetic
- Department of Medicine, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Yi Du
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Son N Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - S Hung Le
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Daniel Favre
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Ishac Nazy
- Department of Medicine, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Igor A Kaltashov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
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Finsterer J. Before blaming SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for unexpected death from atrial myocarditis, rule out alternative pathophysiologies. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2023; 63:102266. [PMID: 37196570 PMCID: PMC10159661 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2023.102266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
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Nguyen SN, Le SH, Ivanov DG, Ivetic N, Nazy I, Kaltashov IA. Structural characterization of a pathogenic antibody underlying vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.28.542636. [PMID: 37398203 PMCID: PMC10312456 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.28.542636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a rare but extremely dangerous side effect that has been reported for several adenoviral (Ad)-vectored COVID-19 vaccines. VITT pathology had been linked to production of antibodies that recognize platelet factor 4 (PF4), an endogenous chemokine. In this work we characterize anti-PF4 antibodies obtained from a VITT patient's blood. Intact-mass MS measurements indicate that a significant fraction of this ensemble is comprised of antibodies representing a limited number of clones. MS analysis of large antibody fragments (the light chain, as well as the Fc/2 and Fd fragments of the heavy chain) confirms the monoclonal nature of this component of the anti-PF4 antibodies repertoire, and reveals the presence of a fully mature complex biantennary N-glycan within its Fd segment. Peptide mapping using two complementary proteases and LC-MS/MS analysis were used to determine the amino acid sequence of the entire light chain and over 98% of the heavy chain (excluding a short N-terminal segment). The sequence analysis allows the monoclonal antibody to be assigned to IgG2 subclass and verify that the light chain belongs to the λ-type. Incorporation of enzymatic de- N -glycosylation into the peptide mapping routine allows the N -glycan in the Fab region of the antibody to be localized to the framework 3 region of the V H domain. This novel N -glycosylation site (absent in the germline sequence) is a result of a single mutation giving rise to an NDT motif in the antibody sequence. Peptide mapping also provides a wealth of information on lower-abundance proteolytic fragments derived from the polyclonal component of the anti-PF4 antibody ensemble, revealing the presence of all four subclasses (IgG1 through IgG4) and both types of the light chain (λ and κ). The structural information reported in this work will be indispensable for understanding the molecular mechanism of VITT pathogenesis.
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