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Kofsky JM, Babulic JL, Boddington ME, De León González FV, Capicciotti CJ. Glycosyltransferases as versatile tools to study the biology of glycans. Glycobiology 2023; 33:888-910. [PMID: 37956415 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwad092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
All cells are decorated with complex carbohydrate structures called glycans that serve as ligands for glycan-binding proteins (GBPs) to mediate a wide range of biological processes. Understanding the specific functions of glycans is key to advancing an understanding of human health and disease. However, the lack of convenient and accessible tools to study glycan-based interactions has been a defining challenge in glycobiology. Thus, the development of chemical and biochemical strategies to address these limitations has been a rapidly growing area of research. In this review, we describe the use of glycosyltransferases (GTs) as versatile tools to facilitate a greater understanding of the biological roles of glycans. We highlight key examples of how GTs have streamlined the preparation of well-defined complex glycan structures through chemoenzymatic synthesis, with an emphasis on synthetic strategies allowing for site- and branch-specific display of glyco-epitopes. We also describe how GTs have facilitated expansion of glyco-engineering strategies, on both glycoproteins and cell surfaces. Coupled with advancements in bioorthogonal chemistry, GTs have enabled selective glyco-epitope editing of glycoproteins and cells, selective glycan subclass labeling, and the introduction of novel biomolecule functionalities onto cells, including defined oligosaccharides, antibodies, and other proteins. Collectively, these approaches have contributed great insight into the fundamental biological roles of glycans and are enabling their application in drug development and cellular therapies, leaving the field poised for rapid expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Kofsky
- Department of Chemistry, Queen's University, 90 Bader Lane, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Jonathan L Babulic
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada
| | - Marie E Boddington
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada
| | | | - Chantelle J Capicciotti
- Department of Chemistry, Queen's University, 90 Bader Lane, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Queen's University, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON K7L 2V7, Canada
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2
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Fang Y, Qu Y, Ji L, Sun H, Li J, Zhao Y, Liang F, Wang Z, Su J, Liu J, Dai L, Ouyang S. Novel blood-based FUT7 DNA methylation is associated with lung cancer: especially for lung squamous cell carcinoma. Clin Epigenetics 2022; 14:167. [PMID: 36463240 PMCID: PMC9719144 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-022-01389-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The death rate of lung cancer (LC) ranks first in the world. Changes of DNA methylation in peripheral blood may be related to malignant tumors. It is necessary to explore blood-based biomarkers of methylation to detect LC. METHODS Mass spectrometry assays were conducted to measure DNA methylation levels of seven CpG sites within FUT7 gene in the peripheral blood of 428 patients with LC, 233 patients with benign pulmonary nodule (BPN) and 862 normal controls (NC). The odds ratios (ORs) of all CpG sites were evaluated for their risk to LC using per SD change and tertiles analyses by logistic regression. The predictive ability of the seven FUT7 CpG sites and risk factors were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). RESULTS The methylation levels of seven CpG sites of FUT7 in LC were significantly lower than that in NC (P < 0.05). The per SD decrement of methylation level in CpG_1-7 was significantly associated with 65%, 38%, 59%, 46%, 23%, 20% and 68% higher risk for LC versus NC, respectively, and the adjusted ORs (95% CI) were 2.92 (2.17-3.96), 1.76 (1.29-2.38), 2.83 (2.09-3.82), 3.00 (2.17-4.16), 1.81 (1.35-2.43), 1.48 (1.11-1.97) and 3.04 (2.23-4.16) for the lowest tertiles of methylation level in CpG_1-7 compared with the top tertiles, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of FUT7_CpG_1-7 was 0.659 (CI 0.626-0.693), 0.792 (CI 0.736-0.848) and 0.729 (CI 0.665-0.792) in distinguishing LC versus NC, LUSC versus NC and LUSC versus BPN. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed an association between FUT7 hypomethylation and LC, especially for LUSC, which provides novel support for the blood-based methylation signatures as potential marker for assessing lung cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Fang
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Yunhui Qu
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Key Clinical Laboratory of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Longtao Ji
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846BGI College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Key Medical Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biomarkers, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Hao Sun
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Jiaqi Li
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846BGI College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Key Medical Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biomarkers, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Yutong Zhao
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Key Medical Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biomarkers, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Feifei Liang
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846BGI College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Key Medical Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biomarkers, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Zhi Wang
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846BGI College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Key Medical Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biomarkers, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Jiao Su
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Jingjing Liu
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846BGI College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Key Medical Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biomarkers, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Liping Dai
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846BGI College, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Henan Key Medical Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biomarkers, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Songyun Ouyang
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
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Wu ZL, Ertelt JM. Endoglycosidase assay using enzymatically synthesized fluorophore-labeled glycans as substrates to uncover enzyme substrate specificities. Commun Biol 2022; 5:501. [PMID: 35614314 PMCID: PMC9132957 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03444-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycan synthesis and degradation are not template but enzyme only driven processes. Substrate specificities of glyco-enzymes determine the structures of specific natural glycans. Using endoglycosidases as examples, we describe methods to study these enzymes. Endoglycosidase S/S2 specifically deglycosylates the conserved N-glycans of human immunoglobulin G. Endo-β-Galactosidase hydrolyzes internal β-galactosyl linkage in polylactosaminoglycan structures. To assay these enzymes, eleven fluorophore-labeled N-glycans and one polylactosamine ladder are synthesized. Digestion of these glycans result in mobility shift in gel electrophoresis. Results on Endo S/S2 assays reveal that they are most active on the agalactosylated biantennary N-glycans with decreased activity on galactosylated and sialylated glycans and little or no activity on branched and bisected glycans. Assays on Endo-β-Gal reveal that the enzyme is active from pH 3.5 to 9.0 and the β3-linked GlcNAc adjacent to the cleavage site is minimal for the enzyme recognition with the optimal recognition motif spanning at least four lactosamine repeats. Our methods will provide an opportunity to understand how specific glycans are synthesized and degraded. Enzymatic synthesis of fluorophore-labeled glycans and their usage of substrates reveals substrate specificities of endoglycosidases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James M Ertelt
- Bio-techne, R&D Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, 55413, USA
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Wu ZL, Ertelt JM. Fluorescent glycan fingerprinting of SARS2 spike proteins. Sci Rep 2021; 11:20428. [PMID: 34650101 PMCID: PMC8516889 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98919-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycosylation is the most common post-translational modification and has myriad of biological functions. However, glycan analysis has always been a challenge. Here, we would like to present new techniques for glycan fingerprinting based on enzymatic fluorescent labeling and gel electrophoresis. The method is illustrated on SARS2 spike (S) glycoproteins. SARS2, a novel coronavirus and the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, has had significant social and economic impacts since the end of 2019. To obtain the N-glycan fingerprint of an S protein, glycans released from the protein are first labeled through enzymatic incorporation of fluorophore-conjugated sialic acid or fucose, then separated by SDS-PAGE, and finally visualized with a fluorescent imager. To identify the labeled glycans of a fingerprint, glycan standards and glycan ladders are enzymatically generated and run alongside the samples as references. By comparing the mobility of a labeled glycan to that of a glycan standard, the identity of glycans maybe determined. O-glycans can also be fingerprinted. Due to the lack of an enzyme for broad O-glycan release, O-glycans on the S protein can be labeled with fluorescent sialic acid and digested with trypsin to obtain labeled glycan peptides that are then separated by gel electrophoresis. Glycan fingerprinting could serve as a quick method for globally assessing the glycosylation of a specific glycoprotein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengliang L Wu
- Bio-techne, R&D Systems, Inc., 614 McKinley Place N.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55413, USA.
| | - James M Ertelt
- Bio-techne, R&D Systems, Inc., 614 McKinley Place N.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55413, USA
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Suzuki Y. Development of Lectin Modified Fluorescent Magnetic Particles for Highly Sensitive Detection of Glycoconjugates. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21165512. [PMID: 34450954 PMCID: PMC8400584 DOI: 10.3390/s21165512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
I conducted this study to develop an improved method for glycome detection using fluorescent magnetic beads, whose surfaces were modified using lectins, for the highly sensitive detection of saccharides or glycoproteins via fluorescence quenching using a novel fluorescence emitter and quencher pair. The emitter (Cy3 fluorophore) was incorporated into magnetic beads, and a fluorescence quencher (cyanopyranyl group) was bound to glycomes via covalent bonding. The fluorescence intensities of fluorescent magnetic beads containing lectins decreased specifically in the presence of glycomes, which was a result of fluorescence quenching from Cy3 to cyanopyranyl groups due to the formation of a stable complex between lectins and glycome. Fluorescence intensities were plotted as a function of glycoprotein concentration, and good linear relationships were observed. This method enabled the fluorescent reading-out of a series of lectin-glycome interactions on the basis of recognition selectivity and affinity of immobilized lectins without tedious washing processes. Moreover, a simple profiling process was performed using this assay for diverse glycoconjugates, which not only included simple saccharides but also glycoproteins and glycome in cell lysates. These results clearly indicate that the combination of magnetic beads with the novel emitter-quencher pair enabled the highly sensitive detection of lectin-glycome interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshio Suzuki
- Health and Medical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan
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Ihara H, Ikeda Y. The Roles of the N-terminal α-helical and C-terminal Src Homology 3 Domains in the Enzymatic Functions of FUT8. TRENDS GLYCOSCI GLYC 2021. [DOI: 10.4052/tigg.2025.1e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hideyuki Ihara
- Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Saga University Faculty of Medicine
| | - Yoshitaka Ikeda
- Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Saga University Faculty of Medicine
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7
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Ihara H, Ikeda Y. The Roles of the N-terminal α-helical and C-terminal Src Homology 3 Domains in the Enzymatic Functions of FUT8. TRENDS GLYCOSCI GLYC 2021. [DOI: 10.4052/tigg.2025.1j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hideyuki Ihara
- Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Saga University Faculty of Medicine
| | - Yoshitaka Ikeda
- Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Saga University Faculty of Medicine
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Huxley KE, Willems LI. Chemical reporters to study mammalian O-glycosylation. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:903-913. [PMID: 33860782 PMCID: PMC8106504 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Glycans play essential roles in a range of cellular processes and have been shown to contribute to various pathologies. The diversity and dynamic nature of glycan structures and the complexities of glycan biosynthetic pathways make it challenging to study the roles of specific glycans in normal cellular function and disease. Chemical reporters have emerged as powerful tools to characterise glycan structures and monitor dynamic changes in glycan levels in a native context. A variety of tags can be introduced onto specific monosaccharides via the chemical modification of endogenous glycan structures or by metabolic or enzymatic incorporation of unnatural monosaccharides into cellular glycans. These chemical reporter strategies offer unique opportunities to study and manipulate glycan functions in living cells or whole organisms. In this review, we discuss recent advances in metabolic oligosaccharide engineering and chemoenzymatic glycan labelling, focusing on their application to the study of mammalian O-linked glycans. We describe current barriers to achieving glycan labelling specificity and highlight innovations that have started to pave the way to overcome these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E. Huxley
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, The University of York, York YO10 5DD, U.K
| | - Lianne I. Willems
- York Structural Biology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, The University of York, York YO10 5DD, U.K
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Liu M, Zheng Q, Chen S, Liu J, Li S. FUT7 Promotes the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Immune Infiltration in Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma. J Inflamm Res 2021; 14:1069-1084. [PMID: 33790621 PMCID: PMC8007615 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s296597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) is one of the most frequently appearing, lethal and aggressive malignancies of the genitourinary system with growing morbidity and mortality, which affects human health seriously. Protein glycosylation, catalyzed by specific glycosyltransferase, has been found to be abnormal in several diseases, especially cancer. Fucosyltransferase VII (FUT7), one of the fucosyltransferases, was observed abnormally expressed in various cancers, however, the role of FUT7 in BLCA, and the association between its expression and clinical outcomes or immune infiltration remains unclear. Methodology FUT7 expression in BLCA was analyzed in Oncomine database, which was further confirmed with immunohistochemistry and ELISA. The prognostic value of FUT7 for BLCA was evaluated with PrognoScan database, and its genetic alteration was examined in cBioPortal database. The proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) changes of bladder cancer cells after FUT7 siRNA or cDNA transfection were determined by CCK8, colony formation, transwell and Western blot, respectively. The correlation between FUT7 expression and immune infiltration levels was analyzed in TIMER and TISIDB databases, and the methylation level of FUT7 was detected in UALCAN database. Results The results showed that the expression of FUT7 was increased in BLCA, and patients with high FUT7 level were predicted to have lower overall survival and disease-specific survival rates, which were not influenced by FUT7 genetic alterations. Downregulation FUT7 inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of bladder cancer cells, whereas upregulation of FUT7 showed the opposite effects. We found that FUT7 was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration levels (CD8+ T cells, CD4+T cells, macrophage, neutrophil and dendritic cells), and also the expression of gene markers of immune cells. The negative correlation between FUT7 expression and FUT7 methylation level was observed, among which FUT7 expression was positively correlated with the abundance of 28 kinds of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), while FUT7 methylation level was negatively correlated with TILs. Conclusion Altogether, these findings suggested that FUT7 possessed the potential to serve as a detection biomarker or immunotherapeutic target for BLCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mulin Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116011, People's Republic of China
| | - Qin Zheng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, People's Republic of China
| | - Siyi Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116044, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiwei Liu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116011, People's Republic of China
| | - Shijun Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, 116011, People's Republic of China
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Wu ZL, Luo A, Grill A, Lao T, Zou Y, Chen Y. Fluorescent Detection of O-GlcNAc via Tandem Glycan Labeling. Bioconjug Chem 2020; 31:2098-2102. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhengliang L. Wu
- Bio-techne, R&D Systems, Inc., 614 McKinley Place N.E. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413, United States
| | - Ang Luo
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Alex Grill
- Bio-techne, R&D Systems, Inc., 614 McKinley Place N.E. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413, United States
| | - Taotao Lao
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Yonglong Zou
- Bio-techne, R&D Systems, Inc., 614 McKinley Place N.E. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413, United States
| | - Yue Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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