Generation of human-induced pluripotent stem cell line from PBMC of healthy donor using integration-free Sendai virus technology.

We developed a well-characterized human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line obtained from healthy individuals' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The PBMCs were primed and reprogrammed using a non-integrating sendai viral vector, and the iPSC lines demonstrated complete differentiation capacity. This line, YBLi004-A, is available and registered in the human pluripotent stem cell registry. The line's legitimacy was validated using pluripotent marker expression, in vitro differentiation into three germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm), karyotyping, and STR analysis. This iPSC line could be used as a healthy control for studies involving disease-specific-iPSCs, e.g. drug toxicity and efficacy testing.

Simplified approach for in-vitro production and purification of cell derived Cancer Antigen 15-3.

Cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) is a key biomarker, currently used for understanding the onset and prognosis of breast cancer. In present investigation, CA15-3 has been purified from the culture supernatant of breast cancer T47-D cell line with 76% yield and 3350 fold purification. Isolated CA15-3 was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immunoblotting (western blotting), chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). CA15-3 is a monomeric protein with an apparent molecular mass in between ∼250-350kDa. The FTIR spectroscopy revealed similar profiles of T47-D derived CA15-3 and commercially available CA15-3 protein. With the easy availability of T47-D cell line and a simple purification approach described here will support for the large scale production of CA15-3 to be used for various clinical and diagnostic applications.

Purification of recombinant human thyroid peroxidase (hTPO) from AD293 mammalian cells.

Human thyroid peroxidase (hTPO) has been secretory expressed in AD293 mammalian cells. cDNA sequence of 'Gluc' (Gaussia luciferase) protein from Gaussia princeps was incorporated at the amino terminal of hTPO gene for secretion of targeted protein outside the mammalian cells. Augmentation of TPO clone in serum free mediums was investigated and a simplified purification procedure of hTPO has been reported here. Purified hTPO was further analyzed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting (western blotting). The relative molecular mass of hTPO was found to be 105kDa. This is the first report with respect to cost effective and simplified purification approach to get highest yield and purity of recombinant hTPO.

Glycoprotein CA19.9-specific monoclonal antibodies recognize sialic acid-independent glycotope.

A repertoire of monoclonal antibodies was generated by immunization of mice with cancer-associated glycoprotein CA19.9, and two of them were selected as optimal capture and detecting counterparts for sandwich test system for detection of CA19.9. Fine epitope specificity of the antibodies was determined using printed glycan array, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and inhibitory enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Unexpectedly, both immunoglobulins did not bind key epitope of CA19.9 glycoprotein, tetrasaccharide SiaLeA, as well as its defucosylated form sialyl LeC (known as CA-50 epitope). The antibodies were found to have different glycan-binding profiles; however, they recognized similar glycotopes with common motif Galß1-3GlcNAcß (LeC), thus resembling specificity of human natural cancer-associated anti-LeC antibodies. We propose that cancer-specific glycopeptide epitope includes Galß1-3GlcNAcß fragment of a glycoprotein O-chain in combination with proximal hydrophobic amino acid(s) of the polypeptide chain.

Simplified purification approach of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin by tangential flow filtration and ion exchange chromatography.

This investigation reports a simplified approach for the purification of urinary siderocalin known as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Urinary NGAL was purified by tangential flow filtration and ion exchange chromatography. Isolated NGAL was analyzed by SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting and mass spectrometry (MS). The relative molecular mass of NGAL is 23674Da. Peptide mass fingerprinting of the purified NGAL yielded peptides that partially matched with known sequence of P80188 (NGAL_HUMAN). The tryptic digestion profile of isolated NGAL infers that it may be unique and additive molecule in the dictionary of urinary proteins. This is the first report of purification and validation of urinary NGAL from large volume sample by using tangential flow filtration and peptide sequencing respectively. This cost-effective and simplified approach to purification of NGAL, together with the easy availability of urine sample makes the large-scale production of NGAL possible, allowing exploration of various bioclinical as well as biodiagnostic applications.

Development of an indirect immunofluorescence based assay for diagnosis of ulcerative colitis in Indian population.

The prevalence of Ulcerative Colitis (UC), once thought to be negligible, has increases exponentially in the Indian population. The development of novel, cost effective and time efficient Indirect Immunofluorescence (IIF) based assay for detection of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) and diagnosis of UC in the Indian population is discussed. A novel IIF based assay was developed using intact nuclei from human neutrophils to detect atypical p-ANCA in patients suffering from UC. Sera from 45 patients diagnosed with UC, 45 healthy controls and one related disease control were tested using a novel UC-ANCA assay and validated by commercially available ANCA IIF assay. Prevalence of ANCA amongst UC patients in the Indian population was determined. Atypical p-ANCA was detected in 86.6% of the patients using the UC-ANCA assay as compared to 71.1% using the commercial ANCA assay. The validation of UC-ANCA assay with a commercially available ANCA IIF assay resulted in higher sensitivity. The UC-ANCA assay proved to be not only enhanced in terms of performance but also comparatively economical and rapid. The novel UC-ANCA assay may prove to be very useful in identification and differentiation of UC patients from typical ANCA positive subjects suffering from other autoimmune diseases at one tenth the cost of clinically available ANCA IIF tests which will immensely benefit the cost constrained diagnostic field of developing countries.

A novel approach for the chromatographic purification and peptide mass fingerprinting of urinary free light chains.

We describe a chromatographic approach for the purification of urinary free light chains (FLCs) viz., lambda free light chains (λ-FLCs) and kappa free light chains (κ-FLCs). Isolated urinary FLCs were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting and mass spectrometry (MS). The relative molecular masses of λ-FLC and κ-FLC are 22,933.397 and 23,544.336Da respectively. Moreover, dimer forms of each FLC were also detected in mass spectrum which corresponds to 45,737.747 and 47,348.028Da respectively for λ-FLCs and κ-FLCs. Peptide mass fingerprint analysis of the purified λ-FLCs and κ-FLCs has yielded peptides that partially match with known light chain sequences viz., gi|218783338 and gi|48475432 respectively. The tryptic digestion profile of isolated FLCs infers the exclusive nature of them and they may be additive molecules in the dictionary of urinary proteins. This is the first report of characterization and validation of FLCs from large volume samples by peptide sequencing. This simple and cost-effective approach to purification of FLCs, together with the easy availability of urine samples make the large-scale production of FLCs possible, allowing exploration of various bioclinical as well as biodiagnostic applications.

Development of glycan specific lectin based immunoassay for detection of prostate specific antigen.

We describe an analytical approach for the detection and verification of glycosylation patterns of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a key biomarker currently used for understanding the onset and prognosis of prostate cancer. PSA has been purified from the human seminal plasma and total PSA from prostate cancer sera. PSA is a monomeric glycoprotein with an apparent molecular mass 28040.467 Da, which exhibits a characteristic protease activity against casein and gelatin. Its optimal protease activity is centered on neutral pH. Peptide mass fingerprint analysis of the purified PSA has yielded peptides that partially match with known database sequences (Uniprot ID P07288). Tryptic digestion profile of isolated PSA, infer the exclusive nature of PSA and may be additive molecule in the dictionary of seminal proteins. Surface plasmon resonance and lectin immunoassay revealed direct interaction between a newly developed anti-PSA monoclonal antibody (C4E6) and PSA. A lectin based immunoassay is reported here which was achieved with the C4E6 anti-PSA antibody and biotinylated plant lectins. This investigation provides an alternative method to isolate and quantify PSA with altered glycosylation which might be seen in the prostate cancer and developing a lectin based immunoassay to detect PSA in serum of prostate cancer patients.

Clinical impact of prostate specific antigen (PSA) inter-assay variability on management of prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the inter-assay variability of six commercially available prostate specific antigen (PSA) assays, its clinical impact in prostate cancer (PCa) and comparison of automated versus manual assays. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sera from 495 patients (425 with PCa and 70 men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), were measured with six different assays [three automated assays (a-PSA) and three manual ELISA based assay (m-PSA)]. Variability, agreement and bias were measured and compared among assays using Bland Altman plots and Passing and Bablok regression analysis. The possible impact of inter-assay variability on important clinical scenarios was also studied. RESULTS: All the assays were well correlated (r: 0.88-0.98); however there was significant disagreement and bias between the systems, which were more pronounced among the a-PSA assays. The Bland Altman plot showed that the variability was high between the m-PSA assays and the standard Abbott system with mean difference of 3.8-5.8ng/ml. In contrast, the a-PSA had better agreement with mean difference of 0.8-2.3ng/ml. Beckman Coulter showed the best agreement to the institutional reference (slope-1.097; 95% CI: 1.06-1.14; p<0.05, and intercept-0.20; 95% CI-0.38-0.58; p<0.05, Passing Bablok). It led to significant variability in PCa risk stratification and failure to detect biochemical failure in more than 50% cases. CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancies between the assays lead to significant clinical misinterpretation with risk group migration and detection of biochemical failure post radiotherapy. There are significant discordances between automated and ELISA based assays.

Development of Monoclonal Antibodies against CMP-N-Acetylneuraminate-beta-galactosamide-alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase 1 (ST3Gal-I) Recombinant Protein Expressed in E. coli.

Aberrant glycosylation is one of the major hallmarks of cancer with altered gene expression signatures of sialyltransferases. ST3Gal-I, a sialyltransferase, is known to play a crucial role in sialylation of T antigen in bladder cancer and it has reported elevated expression in breast carcinogenesis with increased tumor progression stages. The aim of the current study is to develop new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against human ST3Gal-I and evaluate their diagnostic potential. We developed a repertoire of stable hybridoma cell lines producing high-affinity IgG antibodies against recombinant human ST3Gal-I, expressed in E. coli BL21-DE3 strain. In order to demonstrate the diagnostic value of the mAbs, various clones were employed for the immunohistochemistry analysis of ST3Gal-I expression in cancerous tissues. Antibodies generated by 7E51C83A10 clone demonstrated a strong and specific fluorescence staining in breast cancer tissue sections and did not exhibit significant background in fibroadenoma sections. In conclusion, the mAbs raised against recombinant ST3Gal-I recognize cellular ST3Gal-I and represent a promising diagnostic tool for the immunodetection of ST3Gal-I expressing cells. Specific-reactivity of clone 7E51C83A10 mAbs towards ST3Gal-I was also confirmed by immunoblotting. Therefore, our observations warrant evaluation of ST3Gal-I as a potential marker for cancer diagnosis at larger scale.