1
|
Qin YJ, Huang G, Liao J, Jiang L, Tang F, Tang N, Hong Y, Shen C, Lan Q, Xu F, Chen L. Ucf-101 alleviates Ischaemia/Reperfusion induced retinal inflammation and injury via suppressing oxidative damage. J Mol Histol 2024; 55:455-464. [PMID: 38877338 DOI: 10.1007/s10735-024-10213-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
The Omi/HtrA2 inhibitor 5-[5-(2-nitrophenyl) furfuryliodine]-1,3-diphenyl-2-thiobarbituric acid (Ucf-101) has shown neuroprotective effects in the central nervous system. However, whether Ucf-101 can protect retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) after retinal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) has not been investigated. We aimed to investigate the effects of Ucf-101 on RGCs apoptosis and inflammation after IR-induced retinal injury in mice. We injected Ucf-101 into the mouse vitreous body immediately after IR injury. After 7 days, hematoxylin and eosin staining was conducted to assess retinal tissue damage. Next, retrograde labeling with FluoroGold, counting of RGCs and TUNEL staining were conducted to evaluate apoptosis. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence staining, and western blotting were conducted to analyze protein levels. IR injury-induced retinal tissue damage could be prevented by Ucf-101 treatment. The number of TUNEL-positive RGCs was reduced by Ucf-101 treatment in mice with IR injury. Ucf-101 treatment inhibited the upregulation of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 and activated the JNK/ERK/P38 signaling pathway. Furthermore, Ucf-101 treatment inhibited the upregulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, Iba1 and CD68 in mice with IR injury. Ucf-101 prevents retinal tissue damage, improves the survival of RGCs, and suppresses microglial overactivation after IR injury. Ucf-101 might be a potential target to prevent RGCs apoptosis and inflammation in neurodegenerative eye diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Jun Qin
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Department of Ophthalmology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Guangyi Huang
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Jing Liao
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Li Jiang
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Fen Tang
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Ningning Tang
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Yiyi Hong
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Chaolan Shen
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Qianqian Lan
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Fan Xu
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China.
| | - Lifei Chen
- Institute of Ophthalmic Diseases, Department of Ophthalmology, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fomo KN, Perumal N, Manicam C, Pfeiffer N, Grus FH. Neuroretinal Cell Culture Model as a Tool for the Development of New Therapeutic Approaches for Oxidative Stress-Induced Ocular Diseases, with a Focus on Glaucoma. Cells 2024; 13:775. [PMID: 38727311 PMCID: PMC11083839 DOI: 10.3390/cells13090775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Glaucoma is a heterogeneous group of optic neuropathies characterized by a progressive degeneration of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), leading to irreversible vision loss. Nowadays, the traditional therapeutic approach to glaucoma consists of lowering the intraocular pressure (IOP), which does not address the neurodegenerative features of the disease. Besides animal models of glaucoma, there is a considerable need for in vitro experimental models to propose new therapeutic strategies for this ocular disease. In this study, we elucidated the pathological mechanisms leading to neuroretinal R28 cell death after exposure to glutamate and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in order to develop new therapeutic approaches for oxidative stress-induced retinal diseases, including glaucoma. We were able to show that glutamate and H2O2 can induce a decrease in R28 cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. A cell viability of about 42% was found after exposure to 3 mM of glutamate and about 56% after exposure to 100 µM of H2O2 (n = 4). Label-free quantitative mass spectrometry analysis revealed differential alterations of 193 and 311 proteins in R28 cells exposed to 3 mM of glutamate and 100 µM of H2O2, respectively (FDR < 1%; p < 0.05). Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the protein changes were associated with the dysregulation of signaling pathways, which was similar to those observed in glaucoma. Thus, the proteomic alteration induced by glutamate was associated with the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. On the other hand, H2O2-induced toxicity in R28 cells was linked to the activation of apoptosis signaling and the inhibition of the mTOR and ERK/MAPK signaling pathways. Furthermore, the data show a similarity in the inhibition of the EIF2 and AMPK signaling pathways and the activation of the sumoylation and WNT/β-catenin signaling pathways in both groups. Our findings suggest that the exposure of R28 cells to glutamate and H2O2 could induce glaucoma-like neurodegenerative features and potentially provide a suitable tool for the development of new therapeutic strategies for retinal diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Franz H. Grus
- Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (K.N.F.); (N.P.); (C.M.); (N.P.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schmelter C, Fomo KN, Brueck A, Perumal N, Markowitsch SD, Govind G, Speck T, Pfeiffer N, Grus FH. Glaucoma-Associated CDR1 Peptide Promotes RGC Survival in Retinal Explants through Molecular Interaction with Acidic Leucine Rich Nuclear Phosphoprotein 32A (ANP32A). Biomolecules 2023; 13:1161. [PMID: 37509196 PMCID: PMC10377047 DOI: 10.3390/biom13071161] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Glaucoma is a complex, multifactorial optic neuropathy mainly characterized by the progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons, resulting in a decline of visual function. The pathogenic molecular mechanism of glaucoma is still not well understood, and therapeutic strategies specifically addressing the neurodegenerative component of this ocular disease are urgently needed. Novel immunotherapeutics might overcome this problem by targeting specific molecular structures in the retina and providing direct neuroprotection via different modes of action. Within the scope of this research, the present study showed for the first time beneficial effects of the synthetic CDR1 peptide SCTGTSSDVGGYNYVSWYQ on the viability of RGCs ex vivo in a concentration-dependent manner compared to untreated control explants (CTRL, 50 µg/mL: p < 0.05 and 100 µg/mL: p < 0.001). Thereby, this specific peptide was identified first as a potential biomarker candidate in the serum of glaucoma patients and was significantly lower expressed in systemic IgG molecules compared to healthy control subjects. Furthermore, MS-based co-immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed the specific interaction of synthetic CDR1 with retinal acidic leucine-rich nuclear phosphoprotein 32A (ANP32A; p < 0.001 and log2 fold change > 3), which is a highly expressed protein in neurological tissues with multifactorial biological functions. In silico binding prediction analysis revealed the N-terminal leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain of ANP32A as a significant binding site for synthetic CDR1, which was previously reported as an important docking site for protein-protein interactions (PPI). In accordance with these findings, quantitative proteomic analysis of the retinae ± CDR1 treatment resulted in the identification of 25 protein markers, which were significantly differentially distributed between both experimental groups (CTRL and CDR1, p < 0.05). Particularly, acetyl-CoA biosynthesis I-related enzymes (e.g., DLAT and PDHA1), as well as cytoskeleton-regulating proteins (e.g., MSN), were highly expressed by synthetic CDR1 treatment in the retina; on the contrary, direct ANP32A-interacting proteins (e.g., NME1 and PPP2R4), as well as neurodegenerative-related markers (e.g., CEND1), were identified with significant lower abundancy in the CDR1-treated retinae compared to CTRL. Furthermore, retinal protein phosphorylation and histone acetylation were also affected by synthetic CDR1, which are both partially controlled by ANP32A. In conclusion, the synthetic CDR1 peptide provides a great translational potential for the treatment of glaucoma in the future by eliciting its neuroprotective mechanism via specific interaction with ANP32A's N terminal LRR domain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Schmelter
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (C.S.); (K.N.F.); (A.B.); (N.P.); (N.P.)
| | - Kristian Nzogang Fomo
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (C.S.); (K.N.F.); (A.B.); (N.P.); (N.P.)
| | - Alina Brueck
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (C.S.); (K.N.F.); (A.B.); (N.P.); (N.P.)
| | - Natarajan Perumal
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (C.S.); (K.N.F.); (A.B.); (N.P.); (N.P.)
| | - Sascha D. Markowitsch
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Gokul Govind
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (G.G.)
| | - Thomas Speck
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (G.G.)
| | - Norbert Pfeiffer
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (C.S.); (K.N.F.); (A.B.); (N.P.); (N.P.)
| | - Franz H. Grus
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (C.S.); (K.N.F.); (A.B.); (N.P.); (N.P.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Prokai L, Zaman K, Prokai-Tatrai K. Mass spectrometry-based retina proteomics. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2023; 42:1032-1062. [PMID: 35670041 PMCID: PMC9730434 DOI: 10.1002/mas.21786] [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: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
A subfield of neuroproteomics, retina proteomics has experienced a transformative growth since its inception due to methodological advances in enabling chemical, biochemical, and molecular biology techniques. This review focuses on mass spectrometry's contributions to facilitate mammalian and avian retina proteomics to catalog and quantify retinal protein expressions, determine their posttranslational modifications, as well as its applications to study the proteome of the retina in the context of biology, health and diseases, and therapy developments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laszlo Prokai
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Khadiza Zaman
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Katalin Prokai-Tatrai
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lectin-Based Affinity Enrichment and Characterization of N-Glycoproteins from Human Tear Film by Mass Spectrometry. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 28:molecules28020648. [PMID: 36677706 PMCID: PMC9864693 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28020648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The glycosylation of proteins is one of the most common post-translational modifications (PTMs) and plays important regulatory functions in diverse biological processes such as protein stability or cell signaling. Accordingly, glycoproteins are also a consistent part of the human tear film proteome, maintaining the proper function of the ocular surface and forming the first defense barrier of the ocular immune system. Irregularities in the glycoproteomic composition of tear film might promote the development of chronic eye diseases, indicating glycoproteins as a valuable source for biomarker discovery or drug target identification. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a lectin-based affinity method for the enrichment and concentration of tear glycoproteins/glycopeptides and to characterize their specific N-glycosylation sites by high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS). For method development and evaluation, we first accumulated native glycoproteins from human tear sample pools and assessed the enrichment efficiency of different lectin column systems by 1D gel electrophoresis and specific protein stainings (Coomassie and glycoproteins). The best-performing multi-lectin column system (comprising the four lectins ConA, JAC, WGA, and UEA I, termed 4L) was applied to glycopeptide enrichment from human tear sample digests, followed by MS-based detection and localization of their specific N-glycosylation sites. As the main result, our study identified a total of 26 N glycosylation sites of 11 N-glycoproteins in the tear sample pools of healthy individuals (n = 3 biological sample pools). Amongst others, we identified tear film proteins lactotransferrin (N497 and N642, LTF), Ig heavy chain constant α-1 (N144 and 340, IGHA1), prolactin-inducible protein (N105, PIP), and extracellular lacritin (N105, LACRT) as highly reliable and significant N glycoproteins, already associated with the pathogenesis of various chronic eye diseases such as dry eye syndrome (DES). In conclusion, the results of the present study will serve as an important tear film N-glycoprotein catalog for future studies focusing on human tear film and ocular surface-related inflammatory diseases.
Collapse
|
6
|
Fomo KN, Schmelter C, Atta J, Beutgen VM, Schwarz R, Perumal N, Govind G, Speck T, Pfeiffer N, Grus FH. Synthetic antibody-derived immunopeptide provides neuroprotection in glaucoma through molecular interaction with retinal protein histone H3.1. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:993351. [PMID: 36313990 PMCID: PMC9613933 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.993351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Glaucoma is a group of optic neuropathies characterized by the progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) as well as their axons leading to irreversible loss of sight. Medical management of the intraocular pressure (IOP) still represents the gold standard in glaucoma therapy, which only manages a single risk factor and does not directly address the neurodegenerative component of this eye disease. Recently, our group showed that antibody-derived immunopeptides (encoding complementarity-determining regions, CDRs) provide attractive glaucoma medication candidates and directly interfere its pathogenic mechanisms by different modes of action. In accordance with these findings, the present study showed the synthetic complementary-determining region 2 (CDR2) peptide (INSDGSSTSYADSVK) significantly increased RGC viability in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner (p < 0.05 using a CDR2 concentration of 50 μg/mL). Employing state-of the-art immunoprecipitation experiments, we confirmed that synthetic CDR2 exhibited a high affinity toward the retinal target protein histone H3.1 (HIST1H3A) (p < 0.001 and log2-fold change > 3). Furthermore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations along with virtual docking analyses predicted potential CDR2-specific binding regions of HIST1H3A, which might represent essential post-translational modification (PTM) sites for epigenetic regulations. Quantitative mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of retinas demonstrated 39 proteins significantly affected by CDR2 treatment (p < 0.05). An up-regulation of proteins involved in the energy production (e.g., ATP5F1B and MT-CO2) as well as the regulatory ubiquitin proteasome system (e.g., PSMC5) was induced by the synthetic CDR2 peptide. On the other hand, CDR2 reduced metabolic key enzymes (e.g., DDAH1 and MAOB) as well as ER stress-related proteins (e.g., SEC22B and VCP) and these data were partially confirmed by microarray technology. Our outcome measurements indicate that specific protein-peptide interactions influence the regulatory epigenetic function of HIST1H3A promoting the neuroprotective mechanism on RGCs in vitro. In addition to IOP management, such synthetic peptides as CDR2 might serve as a synergistic immunotherapy for glaucoma in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristian Nzogang Fomo
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Carsten Schmelter
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Joshua Atta
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Vanessa M. Beutgen
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Rebecca Schwarz
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Natarajan Perumal
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Gokul Govind
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Norbert Pfeiffer
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Franz H. Grus
- Department of Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany,*Correspondence: Franz H. Grus,
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sun H, Shen L, Zhang P, Lin F, Ma J, Wu Y, Yu H, Sun L. Inhibition of High-Temperature Requirement Protein A2 Protease Activity Represses Myogenic Differentiation via UPRmt. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911761. [PMID: 36233059 PMCID: PMC9569504 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Skeletal muscles require muscle satellite cell (MuSC) differentiation to facilitate the replenishment and repair of muscle fibers. A key step in this process is called myogenic differentiation. The differentiation ability of MuSCs decreases with age and can result in sarcopenia. Although mitochondria have been reported to be involved in myogenic differentiation by promoting a bioenergetic remodeling, little is known about the interplay of mitochondrial proteostasis and myogenic differentiation. High-temperature-requirement protein A2 (HtrA2/Omi) is a protease that regulates proteostasis in the mitochondrial intermembrane space (IMS). Mice deficient in HtrA2 protease activity show a distinct phenotype of sarcopenia. To investigate the role of IMS proteostasis during myogenic differentiation, we treated C2C12 myoblasts with UCF101, a specific inhibitor of HtrA2 during differentiation process. A key step in this process is called myogenic differentiation. The differentiation ability of MuSCs decreases with age and can result in sarcopenia. Further, CHOP, p-eIF2α, and other mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt)-related proteins are upregulated. Therefore, we suggest that imbalance of mitochondrial IMS proteostasis acts via a retrograde signaling pathway to inhibit myogenic differentiation via the UPRmt pathway. These novel mechanistic insights may have implications for the development of new strategies for the treatment of sarcopenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Huimei Yu
- Correspondence: (H.Y.); (L.S.); Tel.: +86-0431-8561-9495 (H.Y. & L.S.)
| | - Liankun Sun
- Correspondence: (H.Y.); (L.S.); Tel.: +86-0431-8561-9495 (H.Y. & L.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Beutgen VM, Schmelter C, Pfeiffer N, Grus FH. Contribution of the Commensal Microflora to the Immunological Homeostasis and the Importance of Immune-Related Drug Development for Clinical Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:8896. [PMID: 34445599 PMCID: PMC8396286 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Not long ago, self-reactive immune activity was considered as pathological trait. A paradigm shift has now led to the recognition of autoimmune processes as part of natural maintenance of molecular homeostasis. The immune system is assigned further roles beneath the defense against pathogenic organisms. Regarding the humoral immune system, the investigation of natural autoantibodies that are frequently found in healthy individuals has led to further hypotheses involving natural autoimmunity in other processes as the clearing of cellular debris or decrease in inflammatory processes. However, their role and origin have not been entirely clarified, but accumulating evidence links their formation to immune reactions against the gut microbiome. Antibodies targeting highly conserved proteins of the commensal microflora are suggested to show self-reactive properties, following the paradigm of the molecular mimicry. Here, we discuss recent findings, which demonstrate potential links of the commensal microflora to the immunological homeostasis and highlight the possible implications for various diseases. Furthermore, specific components of the immune system, especially antibodies, have become a focus of attention for the medical management of various diseases and provide attractive treatment options in the future. Nevertheless, the development and optimization of such macromolecules still represents a very time-consuming task, shifting the need to more medical agents with simple structural properties and low manufacturing costs. Synthesizing only the biologically active sites of antibodies has become of great interest for the pharmaceutical industry and offers a wide range of therapeutic application areas as it will be discussed in the present review article.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Franz H. Grus
- Experimental and Translational Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (V.M.B.); (C.S.); (N.P.)
| |
Collapse
|