Effectiveness of neutralizing antibody cocktail in hemodialysis patients: a case series of 20 patients treated with or without REGN-COV2.

The number of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection continues to increase, and it has become a global pandemic. Although there is an urgent need to establish an effective treatment, the medication available for dialysis patients has been limited. An antibody cocktail containing two SARS-CoV-2-neutrarizing antibodies, REGN-COV2 has been granted special approval for COVID-19 in Japan, since July 2021, and this intravenous preparation can be used for dialysis patients. At our hospital, we had 22 hemodialysis patients with COVID-19, and five of them were treated with REGN-COV2. On admission, four of the five patients had moderate disease (pneumonia but O2 inhalation) and one patient had mild disease (not having pneumonia). The mean duration of hospitalization treated with REGN-COV2 was 10.2 ± 2.86 days (mean ± SD), which was less than half, compared to patients untreated of similar severity on admission (22.12 ± 15.5). The time to fever resolution was average 7 days, and no cases progressed to severe illness or death. Among these patients, no obvious adverse reactions were shown. Although more studies with a larger number of patients could be needed for a rigorous evaluation of the effect, our result suggests that REGN-COV2 may be safe and having the possibilities in preventing severe disease in hemodialysis patients. Given the difficulty in securing inpatient beds tend to be in short supply, the strategy combined with neutralizing antibody could be beneficial for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients with hemodialysis who are at high risk of severe disease.

Translation-coupled protein folding assay using a protease to monitor the folding status.

Protein folding is an essential prerequisite for proteins to execute nearly all cellular functions. There is a growing demand for a simple and robust method to investigate protein folding on a large-scale under the same conditions. We previously developed a global folding assay system, in which proteins translated using an Escherichia coli-based cell-free translation system are centrifuged to quantitate the supernatant fractions. Although the assay is based on the assumption that the supernatants contain the folded native states, the supernatants also include nonnative unstructured proteins. In general, proteases recognize and degrade unstructured proteins, and thus we used a protease to digest the unstructured regions to monitor the folding status. The addition of Lon protease during the translation of proteins unmasked subfractions, not only in the soluble fractions but also in the aggregation-prone fractions. We translated ∼90 E. coli proteins in the protease-inclusion assay, in the absence and presence of chaperones. The folding assay, which sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the aggregate formation and the chaperone effects, can be applied to a large-scale analysis.

Design and Fabrication of a Wavelength-Selective Near-Infrared Metasurface Emitter for a Thermophotovoltaic System.

In this study, a tungsten-SiO2-based metal⁻insulator⁻metal-structured metasurface for the thermal emitter of the thermophotovoltaic system was designed and fabricated. The proposed emitter was fabricated by applying the photolithography method. The fabricated emitter has high emissivity in the visible to near-infrared region and shows excellent wavelength selectivity. This spectral emissivity tendency agreed well with the result calculated by the finite-difference time-domain method. Additionally, the underlying mechanism of its emission was scrutinized. Study of the fabrication process and theoretical mechanisms of the emission, clarified in this research, will be fundamental to design the wavelength-selective thermal emitter.

A sialo-oligosaccharide-rich mucin-like molecule specifically detected in the submandibular glands of aged mice.

OBJECTIVES: Mucins are heavily glycosylated large glycoproteins produced in the salivary glands that contribute to salivary viscosity. This study aimed to characterize age-related changes in mucin production in mouse submandibular salivary gland (SMG). METHODS: The paraffin sections of the SMGs of the young and aged mice were stained with HE or Alcian blue (AB). SMGs mucins derived from the young and aged mice were separated using supported molecular matrix electrophoresis (SMME). After SMME, the membranes were stained with AB and subsequent glycan analysis or subjected to immunoblotting. The expression of 18 mucin genes and 4 sialyltransferase genes in the young and aged SMGs were determined by qPCR. The neuraminidase activity in the SMG homogenates was determined using Neuraminidase Assay Kit. RESULTS: The mouse SMG is more strongly stained by AB with increasing age. On SMME, a characteristic band not found in the young SMG is detected in aged SMG. Based on migration position and the MALDI MS, the band that appeared specifically with aging was determined to be acidic mucin. Additionally, most glycans of this acidic mucin were sialo-oligosaccharides. Furthermore, there was an increase in the expression of sialyltransferase genes ST6GalNAc I and ST6GalNAc II, but not a decrease in neuraminidase activity, in the SMG of aged mice. CONCLUSION: A sialomucin or sialylated mucin-like molecule not found in the SMGs of young WT mice is expressed in aged WT mice. The increase in the sialo-oligosaccharide content in this aging-associated molecule may be attributed to the increased expression of the sialyltransferase genes.

Synthetic Method for Oligonucleotide Block by Using Alkyl-Chain-Soluble Support.

A straightforward method for the synthesis of oligonucleotide blocks using a Cbz-type alkyl-chain-soluble support (Z-ACSS) attached to the 3'-OH group of 3'-terminal nucleosides was developed. The Z-ACSS allowed for the preparation of fully protected deoxyribo- and ribo-oligonucleotides without chromatographic purification and released dimer- to tetramer-size oligonucleotide blocks via hydrogenation using a Pd/C catalyst without significant loss or migration of protective groups such as 5'-end 4,4'-dimethoxtrityl, 2-cyanoethyl on internucleotide bonds, or 2'-TBS.

Supported Molecular Matrix Electrophoresis.

Mucins are difficult to separate using conventional gel electrophoresis methods such as SDS-PAGE and agarose gel electrophoresis, owing to their large size and heterogeneity. On the other hand, cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis can separate these molecules, but is not compatible with glycan analysis. Here, we describe a novel membrane electrophoresis technique, termed "supported molecular matrix electrophoresis" (SMME), in which a porous polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane filter is used to achieve separation. This description includes the separation, visualization, and glycan analysis of mucins with the SMME technique.

Succinylation-Alcian Blue Staining of Mucins on Polyvinylidene Difluoride Membranes.

Alcian blue staining has been widely used to visualize acidic mucins and mucopolysaccharides in supported molecular matrix electrophoresis (SMME) and on membrane transferred from electrophoresis gels. Mucins with low acidic glycan content, however, cannot be stained with Alcian blue, which is one of the major drawbacks of this staining method. On the other hand, periodic acid-Schiff staining can selectively visualize glycoproteins, including mucins, regardless of the acidic residue content; however, periodic acid-Schiff staining decomposes glycans. Here, we introduce succinylation-Alcian blue staining as an alternative staining method to visualize mucins, regardless of the acidic residue content, and without glycan decomposition.

Supported molecular matrix electrophoresis: a new membrane electrophoresis for characterizing glycoproteins.

Protein blotting is often used for identification and characterization of proteins on a membrane to which proteins separated by gel electrophoresis are transferred. The transferring process is sometimes problematic, in particular, for mucins and proteoglycans. Here, we describe a novel membrane electrophoresis technique, termed supported molecular matrix electrophoresis (SMME), in which a porous polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane filter is used as the separation support. Proteins separated by this method can be immunoblotted without any transferring procedures.

Serum protein fractionation using supported molecular matrix electrophoresis.

Supported molecular matrix electrophoresis (SMME), in which a hydrophilic polymer such as PVA serves as a support within a porous PVDF membrane, was recently developed. This method is similar to cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis but differs in the compatibility to glycan analysis of the separated bands. In this report, we describe the first instance of the application of SMME to human serum fractionation, and demonstrate the differences with serum fractionation by cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis. The SMME membrane exhibited almost no EOF during electrophoresis, unlike the cellulose acetate membrane, but afforded comparative results for serum fractionation. The visualization of each fraction was achieved by conventional staining with dye such as Direct Blue-71, and objective quantification was obtained by densitometry after inducing membrane transparency with 1-nonene. Immunostaining was also achieved. Moreover, mass spectrometric analysis of both N-linked and O-linked glycans from the separated bands was demonstrated. Serum fractionation and glycan profiling of each fraction using SMME will enable novel insights into the relationships between various glycosylation profiles and disease states.

Identification of mucins by using a method involving a combination of on-membrane chemical deglycosylation and immunostaining.

The characterization of mucins is critically important for gaining insights into the molecular pathology of diseases, including cancers, as well as for the discovery of biomarkers for disease diagnosis. However, no practical method has yet been reported for identifying mucin proteins. Here, we report a technique for immunological identification of mucins separated by supported molecular matrix electrophoresis (SMME), a recently developed membrane electrophoresis method. The technique involves on-membrane deglycosylation of mucins by using mild periodate oxidation/base-catalyzed elimination, followed by immunostaining with an antibody that specifically recognizes the mucin tandem repeat (TR) peptide. We demonstrated the method's feasibility by using MUC1 derived from 2 cancer cell lines, T47D and HPAF-II. The present method shows potential as an alternative approach for the identification of mucins separated by SMME or blotted from conventional gel electrophoresis, on a PVDF membrane.

A procedure for Alcian blue staining of mucins on polyvinylidene difluoride membranes.

The isolation and characterization of mucins are critically important for obtaining insight into the molecular pathology of various diseases, including cancers and cystic fibrosis. Recently, we developed a novel membrane electrophoretic method, supported molecular matrix electrophoresis (SMME), which separates mucins on a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane impregnated with a hydrophilic polymer. Alcian blue staining is widely used to visualize mucopolysaccharides and acidic mucins on both blotted membranes and SMME membranes; however, this method cannot be used to stain mucins with a low acidic glycan content. Meanwhile, periodic acid-Schiff staining can selectively visualize glycoproteins, including mucins, but is incompatible with glycan analysis, which is indispensable for mucin characterizations. Here we describe a novel staining method, designated succinylation-Alcian blue staining, for visualizing mucins on a PVDF membrane. This method can visualize mucins regardless of the acidic residue content and shows a sensitivity 2-fold higher than that of Pro-Q Emerald 488, a fluorescent periodate Schiff-base stain. Furthermore, we demonstrate the compatibility of this novel staining procedure with glycan analysis using porcine gastric mucin as a model mucin.

Improved method for immunostaining of mucin separated by supported molecular matrix electrophoresis by optimizing the matrix composition and fixation procedure.

Mucins are a family of heavily glycosylated high molecular mass proteins that have great potential as novel clinical biomarkers for the diagnosis of various malignant tumors. Supported molecular matrix electrophoresis (SMME) is a new type of membrane electrophoresis that can be used to characterize mucins. In SMME, mucins migrate in a molecular matrix supported by membrane materials. Here, we have developed an immunostaining method for the identification of SMME-separated mucins. The novel method involves stably fixing the mucins onto the SMME membrane and optimizing the molecular matrix for the fixation process. We applied this technique for the detection of MUC1 produced from three cancer cell lines (T47D, HPAF-II and BxPC3) and also analyzed their O-linked glycans by mass spectrometry. Our results revealed that properties of the MUC1 molecules from the three cell lines are different in terms of migrating position in SMME and glycan profile. The present method allows simple and rapid characterization of mucins in terms of both glycans and core proteins. The method will be a useful tool for the exploration of mucin alterations associated with various diseases such as cancer.

Determination of sulfate ester content in sulfated oligo- and poly-saccharides by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV detection.

Carbohydrates having sulfate groups such as glycosaminoglycans and chemically synthesized sucrose sulfate show interesting and important biological activities. We adapted CE with indirect UV detection technique to the determination of sulfate ester in sulfated carbohydrates, which were previously hydrolyzed with HCl. The liberated sulfate ion was analyzed using a background electrolyte consisting of triethanolamine-buffered chromate with hexamethonium bromide. Sulfate contents of glucose 3-sulfate and sucrose octasulfate used as a model were in good agreement with theoretical values (accuracy, 95.9-96.7 and 97.4-101.9%, respectively), and relative standard deviation values run-to-run were 0.977 and 1.90%, respectively. We applied the method to the determination of the sulfate contents of some glycosaminoglycan samples and showed that the contents were in good agreement with those calculated from sulfur content.

Supported molecular matrix electrophoresis: a new tool for characterization of glycoproteins.

A new concept of separation technology, supported molecular matrix electrophoresis (SMME), is described. In SMME, analytes migrate in a molecular matrix supported by backbone materials. Here we introduce a novel strategy for the separation and characterization of mucins using SMME. Mucin, a highly tumor-associated glycoprotein, has great potential as clinical biomarker for diagnosis of various malignant tumors. However, due to their large size, polymeric nature, and heterogeneous glycosylation, analysis of mucins has been left behind by modern techniques. For mucin analysis, we employed a poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) membrane and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as the backbone material and the matrix molecule, respectively. Combining SMME with mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis, we demonstrate that a crude porcine stomach mucin consists of a neutral and a sulfated mucin and is contaminated by chondroitin sulfate-containing proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid. Furthermore, to demonstrate the feasibility of the strategy for biomarker discovery, we analyzed mucins in human pancreatic juice, which is an important source for clinical biomarkers of pancreatic tumors. This work revealed the presence of three types of mucin with distinct glycan profiles in human pancreatic juice.

Electrophoresis studies on the contaminating glycosaminoglycans in commercially available hyaluronic acid products.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) samples showing inhibition effect on digestion with testicular hyaluronidase (HAase) were found from 16 commercially available HA products, which were supplied from 11 different manufacturers. Most of these HA samples (six samples) were derived from the rooster comb, and one sample was derived from the human umbilical cord. HA oligosaccharides produced by exhaustive digestion of these HA samples with testicular HAases were monitored by capillary electrophoresis, and we found that a few HA samples gave no oligosaccharide products. Detailed analysis of HA samples by cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis revealed that the HA samples were not digested with HAase because of the presence of a small amount of dermatan sulfate (DS). Analysis of disaccharide units of these HA samples produced by digestion with chondroitinase ABC supported the observations. And the content of DS in the sample was estimated to be ca. 8%. In contrast, these HA samples were easily digested with bacterial hyaluronate lyases from Streptomyces hyalurolyticus and Streptococcus dysgalactiae and gave endproducts of unsaturated disaccharide or unsaturated tetra- or hexasaccharides. The results suggested that the inhibitory effect of DS on HAase is specific to endo-type hydrolase (i.e. testicular HAase). In addition, pharmaceutical preparations of HA derived from rooster comb were easily digested with testicular HAase. These findings will be useful information for clinical or cosmetic use of HA preparations in terms of their half-life.

Quantitative derivatization of sialic acids for the detection of sialoglycans by MALDI MS.

Recently, glycans have been recognized as valuable biomarkers for various disease states. In particular, sialoglycans, which have sialic acids at their terminal end, are likely to have relevance to diseases such as cancer and inflammation. Mass spectrometry (MS) has become an indispensable tool for biomarker discovery. However, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) MS of sialoglycans normally causes loss of sialic acid. Methylesterification or amidation of carboxyl functionality in sialic acid has been reported to suppress the loss of sialic acids. We found that the modifications of alpha2,3-linked sialic acids proceed less efficiently than those at alpha2,6-linkages. Furthermore, the modifications of the alpha2,3-linked sialic acids are incomplete. This variability in the extent of derivatization presents a major problem in terms of glycan biomarker discovery using MALDI MS. In this study, we developed a novel amidation using acetohydrazide which can completely modify both types of linkages of sialoglycans. With the use of this method, we demonstrate MS profiling of N-linked glycans released from a bovine fetuin which is rich in alpha2,3-linked sialic acids.

Rapid and sensitive analysis of mucin-type glycans using an in-line flow glycan-releasing apparatus.

Rapid and sensitive analysis of glycans is essential for glycomics. We previously reported an apparatus, the AutoGlycoCutter (AGC), for rapid release of O-linked glycans under alkaline conditions and its application to rapid analysis of glycans in proteoglycans. We now report an application of the AGC to obtain mucin-type glycans with reducing end (i.e., hemiacetal group) within only 3 min. The released oligosaccharides could be labeled with fluorescent 2-aminobenzoic acid for analysis by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). We could detect O-glycans from as low as 5 pmol of bovine caseino glycomacropeptide (CGMP) by the proposed procedures. The validity of the current method was shown by the analyses of the released O-glycans from some standard glycoproteins: bovine submaxillary mucin, bovine fetuin, porcine stomach mucin, and human colostrum immunoglobulin A. The advantage of the current method was also demonstrated in comparative analysis of mucin-type glycans in CGMP derived from three different animal species.

Development of an apparatus for rapid release of oligosaccharides at the glycosaminoglycan-protein linkage region in chondroitin sulfate-type proteoglycans.

An apparatus, AutoGlycoCutter (AGC), was developed as a tool for rapid release of O-linked-type glycans under alkaline conditions. This system allowed rapid release of oligosaccharides at the glycosaminoglycan-protein linkage region in proteoglycans (PGs). After digestion of PGs with chondroitinase ABC, the oligosaccharides at the linkage region were successfully released from the protein core by AGC within 3 min. The reducing ends of the released oligosaccharides were labeled with 2-aminobenzoic acid and analyzed by a combination of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In addition, the unsaturated disaccharides produced by chondroitinase ABC derived from the outer parts of the glycans were labeled with 2-aminoacridone and analyzed by CE to determine the disaccharide compositions. We evaluated AGC as a method for structural analysis of glycosaminoglycans in some chondroitin-sulfate-type PGs (urinary trypsin inhibitor, bovine nasal cartilage PG, bovine aggrecan, bovine decorin, and bovine biglycan). Recoveries of the released oligosaccharides were 57-73% for all PGs tested in the present study. In particular, we emphasize that the use of AGC achieved ca. 1000-fold rapid release of O-glycans compared with the conventional method.

Comparative studies on the analysis of urinary trypsin inhibitor (ulinastatin) preparations.

Urinary trypsin inhibitor (ulinastatin) is a characteristic protein pharmaceutical which contains both glycosaminoglycans and N-linked glycans in its molecule and has been used for treatment of acute pancreatitis. The comparability of ulinastatin preparations of different lots or from different companies was studied by using conventional analytical approaches such as SDS-PAGE, cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis, and HP size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and also by using newly developed techniques such as CE and MALDI-TOF MS. The methods using SEC and SDS-PAGE according to The Japanese Pharmacopoeia showed similar molecular masses for two different preparations, and the estimated molecular masses were significantly different from those observed with MALDI-TOF MS. We also showed that the electrophoretic methods using cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis and CE can be used for comparability assessments of ulinastatin preparations. In addition, we analyzed the unsaturated disaccharides derived from glycosaminoglycan (chondroitin 4-sulfate chain) and N-linked oligosaccharides attached to ulinastatin by CE after releasing them by enzymatic digestion followed by fluorescent labeling with 2-aminoacridone and 2-aminobenzoic acid, respectively. The results indicated that carbohydrate chains are important as markers for comparability assessments of ulinastatin pharmaceutical preparations.

Fast analysis of glycosaminoglycans by microchip electrophoresis with in situ fluorescent detection using ethidium bromide.

We analyzed some glycosaminoglycans and natural and artificial acidic polysaccharides using microchip electrophoresis in the buffer containing ethidium bromide, and found that they were successfully separated and detected within 150 s with comparable sensitivity with that of conventional electrophoresis using cellulose acetate membrane. We applied the technique to the analysis of glycosaminoglycans in pharmaceutical preparations and also in cultured cancer cells. Rapidness and easy operation of the proposed technique are quite useful for routine analysis of glycosaminoglycans.