Novel proline-hydroxyproline glycopeptides from the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Wigg.) flowers: de novo sequencing and biological activity.

Two novel homologous peptides named ToHyp1 and ToHyp2 that show no similarity to any known proteins were isolated from Taraxacum officinale Wigg. flowers by multidimensional liquid chromatography. Amino acid and mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that the peptides have unusual structure: they are cysteine-free, proline-hydroxyproline-rich and post-translationally glycosylated by pentoses, with 5 carbohydrates in ToHyp2 and 10 in ToHyp1. The ToHyp2 peptide with a monoisotopic molecular mass of 4350.3Da was completely sequenced by a combination of Edman degradation and de novo sequencing via top down multistage collision induced dissociation (CID) and higher energy dissociation (HCD) tandem mass spectrometry (MS(n)). ToHyp2 consists of 35 amino acids, contains eighteen proline residues, of which 8 prolines are hydroxylated. The peptide displays antifungal activity and inhibits growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We further showed that carbohydrate moieties have no significant impact on the peptide structure, but are important for antifungal activity although not absolutely necessary. The deglycosylated ToHyp2 peptide was less active against the susceptible fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana than the native peptide. Unique structural features of the ToHyp2 peptide place it into a new family of plant defense peptides. The discovery of ToHyp peptides in T. officinale flowers expands the repertoire of molecules of plant origin with practical applications.

Peptide/MHC tetramer-based sorting of CD8⁺ T cells to a leukemia antigen yields clonotypes drawn nonspecifically from an underlying restricted repertoire.

Testing of T cell-based cancer therapeutics often involves measuring cancer antigen-specific T-cell populations with the assumption that they arise from in vivo clonal expansion. This analysis, using peptide/MHC tetramers, is often ambiguous. From a leukemia cell line, we identified a CDK4-derived peptide epitope, UNC-CDK4-1 (ALTPVVVTL), that bound HLA-A*02:01 with high affinity and could induce CD8⁺ T-cell responses in vitro. We identified UNC-CDK4-1/HLA-A*02:01 tetramer⁺ populations in 3 of 6 patients with acute myeloid leukemia who had undergone allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Using tetramer-based, single-cell sorting and T-cell receptor ß (TCRß) sequencing, we identified recurrent UNC-CDK4-1 tetramer-associated TCRß clonotypes in a patient with a UNC-CDK4-1 tetramer⁺ population, suggesting in vivo T-cell expansion to UNC-CDK4-1. In parallel, we measured the patient's TCRß repertoire and found it to be highly restricted/oligoclonal. The UNC-CDK4-1 tetramer-associated TCRß clonotypes represented >17% of the entire TCRß repertoire-far in excess of the UNC-CDK4-1 tetramer⁺ frequency-indicating that the recurrent TCRß clonotypes identified from UNC-CDK-4-1 tetramer⁺ cells were likely a consequence of the extremely constrained T-cell repertoire in the patient and not in vivo UNC-CDK4-1-driven clonal T-cell expansion. Mapping recurrent TCRß clonotype sequences onto TCRß repertoires can help confirm or refute antigen-specific T-cell expansion in vivo.

Cell line profiling to improve monoclonal antibody production.

Mammalian cell culture performance is influenced by both intrinsic (genetic) and extrinsic (media and process) factors. In this study, intrinsic capacity of various monoclonal antibody-producing Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines was compared by exposing them to the same culture condition. Microarray-based transcriptomics and LC-MS/MS shotgun proteomics technologies were utilized to obtain expression landscape of different cell lines. Specific transcripts and proteins correlating with productivity, growth rate and cell size have been identified. The proteomics analysis results showed a strong correlation between the intracellular protein expression levels of the recombinant DHFR and productivity. In contrast, neither the light chain nor the heavy chain of the recombinant monoclonal antibody showed correlation to productivity. Other top ranked proteins which demonstrated positive correlation to productivity included the adaptor protein complex subunits AP3D1and AP2B2, DNA repair protein DDB1 and the ER translocation complex component, SRPR. The subunits of molecular chaperone T-complex protein 1 and the regulator of mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism MTHFD2 showed negative correlation to productivity. The transcriptomics analysis has identified the regulators of calcium signaling, Tmem20 and Rcan1, as the top ranked genes displaying positive and negative correlation to productivity, respectively. For the second part of the study, the principal component analysis (PCA) was generated to view the underlying global structure of the expression data. A clear division and expression polarity was observed between the two distinct clusters of cell lines, independent of link to productivity or any other traits examined. The primary component of the PCA generated from either transcriptomics or proteomics data displayed a strong correlation to cell size and doubling time, while none of the main principal components showed correlation to productivity. Our findings suggest that productivity is rather a minor feature in the context of global transcriptional or protein expression space.

A novel HLA-A*0201 restricted peptide derived from cathepsin G is an effective immunotherapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia.

PURPOSE: Immunotherapy targeting aberrantly expressed leukemia-associated antigens has shown promise in the management of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, because of the heterogeneity and clonal evolution that is a feature of myeloid leukemia, targeting single peptide epitopes has had limited success, highlighting the need for novel antigen discovery. In this study, we characterize the role of the myeloid azurophil granule protease cathepsin G (CG) as a novel target for AML immunotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We used Immune Epitope Database and in vitro binding assays to identify immunogenic epitopes derived from CG. Flow cytometry, immunoblotting, and confocal microscopy were used to characterize the expression and processing of CG in AML patient samples, leukemia stem cells, and normal neutrophils. Cytotoxicity assays determined the susceptibility of AML to CG-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Dextramer staining and cytokine flow cytometry were conducted to characterize the immune response to CG in patients. RESULTS: CG was highly expressed and ubiquitinated in AML blasts, and was localized outside granules in compartments that facilitate antigen presentation. We identified five HLA-A*0201 binding nonameric peptides (CG1-CG5) derived from CG, and showed immunogenicity of the highest HLA-A*0201 binding peptide, CG1. We showed killing of primary AML by CG1-CTL, but not normal bone marrow. Blocking HLA-A*0201 abrogated CG1-CTL-mediated cytotoxicity, further confirming HLA-A*0201-dependent killing. Finally, we showed functional CG1-CTLs in peripheral blood from AML patients following allogeneic stem cell transplantation. CONCLUSION: CG is aberrantly expressed and processed in AML and is a novel immunotherapeutic target that warrants further development.

Heme binding in gas-phase holo-myoglobin cations: distal becomes proximal?

His64 and His93 are the two well-known sites of heme binding in water-dissolved holo-myoglobin, with His93 being a proximal, strongly binding partner, while the distal His64 weakly coordinates to the heme through a small-molecule ligand, e.g., water or O(2). The heme bonding scheme in a water-free environment is as yet unclear. Here we employed electron transfer dissociation tandem mass spectrometry to study the preferential attachment site of the ferri-heme (Fe(3+)) in electrospray-produced 12+, 14+, and 16+ holo-myoglobin ions. Contrary to expectations, in lower-charge complexes that should have a structure resembling that in solution, the heme seems to be preferentially attached to the "distal" histidine. In contrast, in the highest studied charge state, the "proximal" histidine is the site of preferential attachment; the 14+ charge state is an intermediate case. This surprising finding raises a question of heme coordination in proteins transferred to water-free environment, as well as the effect of the protonation sites on heme bonding.