Peptide microarray-based analysis of antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 identifies unique epitopes with potential for diagnostic test development.

Humoral immunity to the Severe Adult Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus (CoV)-2 is not fully understood yet but is a crucial factor of immune protection. The possibility of antibody cross-reactivity between SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses (HCoVs) would have important implications for immune protection but also for the development of specific diagnostic ELISA tests. Using peptide microarrays, n = 24 patient samples and n = 12 control samples were screened for antibodies against the entire SARS-CoV-2 proteome as well as the Spike (S), Nucleocapsid (N), VME1 (V), R1ab, and Protein 3a (AP3A) of the HCoV strains SARS, MERS, OC43, and 229E. While widespread cross-reactivity was revealed across several immunodominant regions of S and N, IgG binding to several SARS-CoV-2-derived peptides provided statistically significant discrimination between COVID-19 patients and controls. Selected target peptides may serve as capture antigens for future, highly COVID-19-specific diagnostic antibody tests.

C/EBPß-LAP*/LAP Expression Is Mediated by RSK/eIF4B-Dependent Signalling and Boosted by Increased Protein Stability in Models of Monocytic Differentiation.

The transcription factor C/EBPß plays a key role in monocytic differentiation and inflammation. Its small isoform LIP is associated with proliferation at early premonocytic developmental stages and regulated via mTOR-dependent signalling. During later stages of (pre)monocytic differentiation there is a considerable increase in the large C/EBPß isoforms LAP*/LAP which inhibit proliferation thus supporting terminal differentiation. Here, we showed in different models of monocytic differentiation that this dramatic increase in the LAP*/LAP protein and LAP/LIP ratio was accompanied by an only modest/retarded mRNA increase suggesting an important role for (post)translational mechanisms. We found that LAP*/LAP formation was induced via MEK/RSK-dependent cascades, whereas mTOR/S6K1 were not involved. Remarkably, LAP*/LAP expression was dependent on phosphorylated eIF4B, an acceleratory protein of RNA helicase eIF4A. PKR inhibition reduced the expression of eIF4B and C/EBPß in an eIF2α-independent manner. Furthermore, under our conditions a marked stabilisation of LAP*/LAP protein occurred, accompanied by reduced chymotrypsin-like proteasome/calpain activities and increased calpastatin levels. Our study elucidates new signalling pathways inducing LAP*/LAP expression and indicates new alternative PKR functions in monocytes. The switch from mTOR- to RSK-mediated signalling to orchestrate eIF4B-dependent LAP*/LAP translation, accompanied by increased protein stability but only small mRNA changes, may be a prototypical example for the regulation of protein expression during selected processes of differentiation/proliferation.

Regulation of C/EBPß and resulting functions in cells of the monocytic lineage.

Monocyte/macrophages play an important role in orchestrating the immune response. The present review refers to C/EBPß, which is a key transcription factor regulating monocytic gene expression. Following a general introduction to C/EBPß, this article focuses on activators and regulators of the C/EBPß system in monocytic cells, including differentiating agents, cytokines, and bacterial products as well as associated signaling pathways. Furthermore, C/EBPß target genes in monocytic cells are summarized and resulting functions are described, including regulation of proliferation and differentiation as well as orchestration of processes of mainly the innate immune response. In addition, a variety of disease stages are described in which a dysregulation of the C/EBPß system may be involved. A detailed knowledge of the C/EBPß system in monocytic cells may help to further understand the difference between inflammatory and malignant proliferation as well as additional regulatory facets of innate immunity.