The omics revolution: beyond genomics. A meeting report.

The "omics revolution: beyond genomics" satellite meeting, run under the auspices of the Australian Peptide Association, The Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) and the HUPO Australia/New Zealand Chromosome 7 initiative, was held at the Oaks Resort, Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia, on 8th September 2019, immediately prior to the 13th Australian Peptide Conference. The meeting, which had over 100 participants representing Australasia, Europe and America, focused on recent advances in omics-related technologies, including mass spectrometry, biosensors and CryoEM, which will assist in the clinical translation of proteomics towards precision/personalized medicine. An overview of the conference and a summary of the oral presentations are presented.

Integrin αvß6 sets the stage for colorectal cancer metastasis.

The ß6 subunit of the αvß6 integrin heterodimer has long been an enigma in cancer biology though recent research has provided many new insights into its biology. Collectively, these findings include discovery of the transcriptional, translational and cell biological mechanisms by which ß6 acts, the identification of the cellular influences ß6 exerts upon the cell proteome, the characterisation of multiple ß6-centric pro-metastatic signalling systems and the search for pharmacological therapies (industry and academia) targeted against ß6. Once expressional restriction is overcome in early colorectal cancer (CRC), epithelial cell surface restricted αvß6 can physically interact with, and activate, known oncoproteins, and has the potential to enable the cross-talk through non-canonical signal transduction pathways, resulting in the adoption of an invasive/metastatic phenotype. This recent research has identified numerous interconnections and potential feedback loops, highlighting the fact that the expression of the ß6 subunit may initiate a cascade of downstream effects on the CRC cell rather than acting through a single mechanism. We here review these recent studies and postulate that the existence of a cell surface uPAR/αvß6/TGFß "metastasome" interactome in/on a proportion of colorectal cancer cells, where ß6 expression sequesters and activates multiple systems at the invasive front of tumour lesions, promoting cancer metastasis and hence explaining why ß6 has been correlated with reduced patient survival in CRC.

Prognostic and diagnostic significance of annexin A2 in colorectal cancer.

AIM: Annexin A2 (ANXA2) is known to be a tumourigenic molecule and is highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC). Its diagnostic and prognostic value is not fully understood. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between ANXA2 expression, clinicopathological characteristics, tumour recurrence and survival. METHOD: Immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate ANXA2 expression in 150 matched samples from patients with CRC. Overall survival and recurrence were determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine independent factors contributing to survival and recurrence. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and liner correlation analysis were used to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of ANXA2 expression for clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: ANXA2 was found to be strongly expressed in poorly differentiated tumours (P < 0.001), late stage (P = 0.020) and lymph node positivity (P = 0.002). ANXA2 expression was significantly related to recurrence (P < 0.001) and survival (P = 0.002). The Cox proportional hazards model indicated that ANXA2 expression [P < 0.001, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.366, 95% CI 1.232-1.515] and tumour location (P = 0.039, HR = 1.891, 95% CI 1.034-3.456) were independent factors in predicting overall survival while ANXA2 expression (P < 0.001, HR = 1.445, 95% CI 1.222-1.709) were independent factors predicting recurrence. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) (AUC = 0.768, 95% CI = 0.642-0.894) and liner correlation analysis suggested that ANXA2 was suitable for the clinical diagnosis of CRC. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that ANXA2 is a biomarker with diagnostic and prognostic potential for patients with CRC.

Use of multidimensional separation protocols for the purification of trace components in complex biological samples for proteomics analysis.

The routine detection of low abundance components in complex samples for detailed proteomics analysis continues to be a challenge. Whilst the potential of multidimensional chromatographic fractionation for this purpose has been proposed for some years, and was used effectively for the purification to homogeneity of trace components in bulk biological samples for N-terminal sequence analysis, its practical application in the proteomics arena is still limited. This article reviews some of the recent data using these approaches, including the use of microaffinity purification as part of multidimensional protocols for downstream proteomics analysis.

Mass Spectrometry-Based Analysis for the Discovery and Validation of Potential Colorectal Cancer Stool Biomarkers.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer mortality for both men and women, and the second leading cause of cancer death for men and women combined. If detected early, before metastasis has occurred, survival following surgical resection of the tumor is >90%. Early detection is therefore critical for effective disease surveillance. Unfortunately, current biomarker assays lack the necessary sensitivity and specificity for reliable early disease detection. Development of new robust, non- or minimally invasive specific and sensitive biomarkers or panels with improved compliance and performance is therefore urgently required. The use of fecal samples offers several advantages over other clinical biospecimens (e.g., plasma or serum) as a source of CRC biomarkers, including: collection is noninvasive, the test can be performed at home, one is not sample limited, and the stool effectively samples the entire length of the inner bowel wall contents (including tumor) as it passes down the gastrointestinal tract. Recent advances in mass spectrometry now facilitate both the targeted discovery and validation of potential CRC biomarkers. We describe, herein, detailed protocols that can be used to mine deeply into the fecal proteome to reveal candidate proteins, identify proteotypic/unitypic peptides (i.e., peptides found in only a single known human protein that serve to identify that protein) suitable for sensitive and specific quantitative multiplexed analysis, and undertake high-throughput analysis of clinical samples. Finally, we discuss future directions that may further position this technology to support the current switch in translation research toward personalized medicine.

Preclinical analysis of the analinoquinazoline AG1478, a specific small molecule inhibitor of EGF receptor tyrosine kinase.

The tyrphostin 4-(3-chloroanilino)-6,7-dimethoxyquinazoline (AG1478) is a potent and specific inhibitor of EGFR tyrosine kinase whose favourable preclinical profile supports progression towards clinical trials. Microphysiometric evaluation revealed a short (<24 min) effective inhibition of cellular receptor response to EGF challenge in BaF/ERX cells indicating a need to maintain sustained levels of inhibitor. Initial pharmacokinetic evaluation in mice of novel AG1478 formulations in a beta-cyclodextrin (Captisol) showed monoexponential elimination from plasma (half-life 30 min) following subcutaneous administration. A two-fold dose escalation gave a 2.4-fold increase in the total AUC. Bolus i.v. and 6 h continuous infusion were investigated in rats to mimic a more clinically relevant administration regimen. Drug elimination following bolus i.v. administration was biphasic (terminal elimination half-life 30-48 min). The linear relationship between dose and AUC(0-->infinity) (r2=0.979) enabled the prediction of infusion rates and doses for sustained delivery using continuous 6 h infusions, where steady state was reached in 120 min. Plasma levels of AG1478>10 microM were achieved over the duration of the infusion. At the lowest dose, plasma drug levels after the cessation of infusion declined with a half-life of approximately 43 min. EGFR activity, measured both by autophosphorylation and downstream signalling, was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by injection of AG1478 in mice bearing xenografts of the human glioblastoma cell line U87MG.delta2-7, which expresses a constitutively active variant of the EGF receptor. Taken together, these experiments provide essential data to assess the anti-tumour efficacy of AG1478 and will assist in the rational design of dose regimens for clinical studies.

Specific localization, gamma camera imaging, and intracellular trafficking of radiolabelled chimeric anti-G(D3) ganglioside monoclonal antibody KM871 in SK-MEL-28 melanoma xenografts.

The chimeric monoclonal antibody KM871, directed against the G(D3) antigen, is under evaluation for its potential to target melanoma. To facilitate the in vivo evaluation of biodistribution properties and measurement of pharmacokinetics, KM871 was radiolabeled with (125)I via tyrosine residues and with (111)In via the bifunctional metal ion chelator C-functionalized trans-cyclohexyl diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (CHX-A"-DTPA) to lysine residues. Using antigen-positive SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells, immunoreactivities of 42 and 40% cell binding were obtained, respectively, for the two radioconjugates. Binding was enhanced in the presence of added unlabeled antibody. A humanized A33 antibody was similarly labeled with the two isotopes and used as a control. To determine and compare in vivo biodistribution characteristics of KM871 radiolabeled with (111)In or (125)I, mixtures of the radioconjugates were injected i.v. into BALB/c nude mice bearing G(D3)-positive-SK-MEL-28 melanoma xenografts. Gamma camera images were acquired; groups of five mice were sacrificed at various time intervals, and tumors, blood, and tissues were analyzed. (111)In-labeled CHX-A"-DTPA-KM871 showed a maximum tumor uptake of 41.9 +/- 7.0% injected dose/g at 72 h with prolonged retention over a 15-day period. The tumor:blood ratio was 3:1 by 72 h, and higher ratios were observed at later time points. No abnormal accumulation of (111)In-labeled conjugate was found in normal tissues. In contrast, there was little accumulation of (125)I-labeled KM871 in the same tumors. The specificity of antibody localization was confirmed by the low tumor uptake values for radiolabeled control antibody. Gamma camera imaging demonstrated excellent uptake of (111)In-labeled CHX-A"-DTPA-KM871 in the xenografts. Chromatographic analyses of xenograft cytosolic extracts demonstrated tumor internalization and catabolism of radiolabeled KM871 with the formation of small molecular weight metabolites. Laser scanning confocal microscopy demonstrated that the majority of intracellular KM871 is localized to lysosomes. Despite the catabolism of the radioconjugate, a dose-dependent increase in KM871 tumor localization was shown through immunohistochemical examination of xenograft biopsies. This study demonstrates for the first time the in vivo localization of a radiolabeled anti-G(D3) monoclonal antibody to G(D3)-expressing xenografts using gamma camera scanning techniques and tumor cell internalization of KM871 tagged with a green fluorescent dye, Alexa Fluor 488, through confocal microscopy. KM871 has potential for targeting tumors in patients with melanoma.

Construction, production, and characterization of humanized anti-Lewis Y monoclonal antibody 3S193 for targeted immunotherapy of solid tumors.

The Lewis Y (Ley) antigen is a blood group-related antigen that is expressed in a high proportion of epithelial cancers (including breast, colon, ovary, and lung cancer) and is an attractive target for monoclonal antibody-directed therapy. The murine monoclonal 3S193 (IgG3) was generated in BALB/c mice by immunization with Ley-expressing cells of the MCF-7 breast carcinoma cell-line. The murine 3S193 showed high specificity for Ley in ELISA tests with synthetic Ley and Ley-containing glycoproteins and glycolipids and also reacted strongly in rosetting assays and cytotoxic tests with Ley-expressing cells. We generated a humanized form of the murine 3S193 antibody by linking cDNA sequences encoding the variable region of murine 3S913 with frameworks of the human KOL heavy chain and REI K chain. The genes for the humanized 3S193 monoclonal antibody IgG1 were transfected into mouse myeloma NS0 cells and cloned for the establishment of high antibody-producing colonies. Humanized 3S193 antibody was subsequently produced through in vitro culture and under good manufacturing practice conditions using hollow-fiber bioreactors. The purified humanized 3S193 (hu3S193) was subsequently characterized and validated for use in preliminary immunotherapy investigations. hu3S193 reacted specifically with Ley antigen, with similar avidity to the murine form. hu3S193 demonstrated potent immune effector function, with higher antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity than its murine counterpart and potent complement-dependent cytotoxicity (ED50, 1.0 microg/ml). The in vivo immunotherapeutic potential of hu3S193 was assessed in a human breast xenograft model using MCF-7, Ley-positive cells. Six i.v. doses of up to 1 mg of hu3S193 were administered to animals bearing established tumors (120-130 mm3) with no significant effect on tumor growth. In contrast, in an MCF-7 xenograft preventive model, a 1-mg hu3S193 dosage schedule was able to significantly slow tumor growth compared with placebo and isotype-matched control IgG1 antibody. hu3S193 has promise for immunotherapy of Ley-positive tumors and is currently entering Phase I clinical trials.

HBV-induced ROS accumulation promotes hepatocarcinogenesis through Snail-mediated epigenetic silencing of SOCS3.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been demonstrated to be involved in Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocarcinogenesis through activation of the STAT3 pathway. The sustained activation of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway is frequently associated with repression of SOCS3, which is both a target gene and a negative regulator of STAT3. However, the silencing mechanism of SOCS3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be elucidated. Here, we showed that the repression of SOCS3 and sustained activation of IL-6/STAT3 pathway in HBV-producing HCC cells were caused by HBV-induced mitochondrial ROS accumulation. Mechanistic studies revealed that ROS-mediated DNA methylation resulted in the silencing of SOCS3. Decreased SOCS3 expression significantly promoted the proliferation of HCC cells and growth of tumor xenografts in mice. Further studies revealed that HBV-induced ROS accumulation upregulated the expression of the transcription factor, Snail, which bound to the E-boxes of SOCS3 promoter and mediated the epigenetic silencing of SOCS3 in association with DNMT1 and HDAC1. In addition, we found that the expression of Snail and SOCS3 were inversely correlated in HBV-associated HCC patients, suggesting that SOCS3 and/or Snail could be used as prognostic markers in HCC pathogenesis. Taken together, our data show that HBV-induced mitochondrial ROS production represses SOCS3 expression through Snail-mediated epigenetic silencing, leading to the sustained activation of IL-6/STAT3 pathway and ultimately contributing to hepatocarcinogenesis.

Requirement for Y706 of the murine (or Y708 of the human) CSF-1 receptor for STAT1 activation in response to CSF-1.

Using FDC-P1 derived cell lines which ectopically express either the wild type or mutant forms of the murine CSF-1 receptor in which individual tyrosine residues have been replaced with phenylalanine, we analysed the requirement for tyrosine residues of the receptor for the activation of STAT proteins in response to CSF-1. We found Y706 to be required for efficient activation of STAT1. The activation of STAT3 was not affected by the mutation of Y706 to phenylalanine. The addition of phosphopeptides spanning Y708 of the human CSF-1 receptor (identical with the sequence surrounding Y706 of the murine receptor) to electrophoretic mobility shift assays led to competition of the formation of STAT1 containing complexes, SIF-B and SIF-C with the DNA probe. These phosphopeptides did, however, not affect the formation of the STAT3 containing complex, SIF-A, with the probe. Replacement of Y807 with phenylalanine led to a complete block of activation of all STAT proteins in response to CSF-1, however, this phosphotyrosine does not appear to represent a STAT binding site of the receptor as a phosphopeptide spanning Y809 of the human CSF-1 receptor could not compete any STAT/DNA complex formation in electrophoretic mobility shift assays.

Analysis of the interaction between a synthetic peptide of influenza virus hemagglutinin and monoclonal antibodies using an optical biosensor.

The interaction between two monoclonal antibodies and their corresponding Fab' fragments with a synthetic peptide, corresponding to the C-terminal 23 residues of the HA1 chain of influenza virus hemagglutinin against which they were generated, has been examined using an optical biosensor employing the detection principal of surface plasmon resonance (Pharmacia BIAcore). The data obtained has been analysed in detail by linear transformation of the primary data and nonlinear regression analysis, as well as by analysis of equilibrium binding data. The 2/1 antibodies and their Fab' fragments displayed higher affinity than the corresponding 1/1 proteins. The IgGs were found to have equilibrium association constants (KA) 10-20-fold higher than the corresponding Fab' fragments. This appears largely to be due to differences in the dissociation rate constant (kd) and probably reflects increased avidity due to bivalent binding.

Hemopoietic responses in mice injected with purified recombinant murine GM-CSF.

Normal adult BALB/c, C57BL, and C3H/HeJ mice were injected intraperitoneally three times daily for six days with 6-200 ng purified, bacterially synthesized, murine recombinant GM-CSF. Mice injected with 200 ng rGM-CSF developed a twofold increase in blood neutrophils. In the peritoneal cavity, a dose-related rise was observed in macrophages (up to 15-fold), neutrophils (10- to 100-fold) and eosinophils (10- to 100-fold). Peritoneal macrophages exhibited 15-fold increased mitotic activity (to 7.6/10(3) cells) and increased phagocytic activity for antibody-coated erythrocytes. Increased numbers of infiltrating neutrophils and monocytes were observed in the liver and lung. Dose-related rises were observed in spleen weight (up to 50%) and the spleen content of monocytes (twofold) and nonerythroid progenitor cells (up to fourfold). A dose-related fall occurred in total marrow cellularity (40%) and total nonerythroid progenitor cells (37%-66%), but levels of neutrophils and monocytes remained constant. The data indicate that the injection of rGM-CSF to normal mice increases overall numbers of granulocytes and macrophages and the phagocytic activity of macrophages and provides direct evidence for the conclusion that GM-CSF is likely to function in vivo as a regulator of these cell populations.

Is isolation of comprehensive human plasma peptidomes an achievable quest?

The low molecular weight (LMW; <10kDa)* plasma peptidome has been considered a source of useful diagnostic biomarkers and potentially therapeutic molecules, as it contains many cytokines, peptide hormones, endogenous peptide products and potentially bioactive fragments derived from the parent proteome. The small size of the peptides allows them almost unrestricted vascular and interstitial access, and hence distribution across blood-brain barriers, tumour and other vascular permeability barriers. Therefore, the peptidome may carry specific signatures or fingerprints of an individual's health, wellbeing or disease status. This occurs primarily because of the advantage the peptidome has in being readily accessible in human blood and/or other biofluids. However, the co-expression of highly abundant proteins (>10kDa) and other factors present inherently in human plasma make direct analysis of the blood peptidome one of the most challenging tasks faced in contemporary analytical biochemistry. A comprehensive compendium of extraction and fractionation tools has been collected concerning the isolation and micromanipulation of peptides. However, the search for a reliable, accurate and reproducible single or combinatorial separation process for capturing and analysing the plasma peptidome remains a challenge. This review outlines current techniques used for the separation and detection of plasma peptides and suggests potential avenues for future investigation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: HUPO 2014.

Role of the 6-20 disulfide bridge in the structure and activity of epidermal growth factor.

Two synthetic analogues of murine epidermal growth factor, [Abu6, 20] mEGF4-48 (where Abu denotes amino-butyric acid) and [G1, M3, K21, H40] mEGF1-48, have been investigated by NMR spectroscopy. [Abu6, 20] mEGF4-48 was designed to determine the contribution of the 6-20 disulfide bridge to the structure and function of mEGF. The overall structure of this analogue was similar to that of native mEGF, indicating that the loss of the 6-20 disulfide bridge did not affect the global fold of the molecule. Significant structural differences were observed near the N-terminus, however, with the direction of the polypeptide chain between residues four and nine being altered such that these residues were now located on the opposite face of the main beta-sheet from their position in native mEGF. Thermal denaturation experiments also showed that the structure of [Abu6, 20] mEGF4-48 was less stable than that of mEGF. Removal of this disulfide bridge resulted in a significant loss of both mitogenic activity in Balb/c 3T3 cells and receptor binding on A431 cells compared with native mEGF and mEGF4-48, implying that the structural changes in [Abu6, 20] mEGF4-48, although limited to the N-terminus, were sufficient to interfere with receptor binding. The loss of binding affinity probably arose mainly from steric interactions of the dislocated N-terminal region with part of the receptor binding surface of EGF. [G1, M3, K21, H40] mEGF1-48 was also synthesized in order to compare the synthetic polypeptide with the corresponding product of recombinant expression. Its mitogenic activity in Balb/c 3T3 cells was similar to that of native mEGF and analysis of its 1H chemical shifts suggested that its structure was also very similar to native.

Verification of the interaction between peptide T and CD4 using surface plasmon resonance.

Peptide T is currently in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of AIDS-associated dementia. Its putative mode of action is inhibition of binding of the HIV envelope protein (gp120) to its cellular receptor (CD4), thus preventing viral infectivity and gp120-induced neuronal toxicity. However, a number of reports have appeared in the literature which have failed to observe any inhibitory activity of Peptide T on CD4-gp120 binding, thus casting doubt on this hypothesis. This study uses a novel biosensor technique to demonstrate that Peptide T does bind to CD4 and that this binding can be specifically inhibited by an anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody. A detailed analysis of the kinetics of the interaction is presented.

A synthetic peptide containing the autophosphorylation site of the transforming protein of Harvey sarcoma virus is phosphorylated by the EGF-stimulated tyrosine kinase.

The transforming proteins (p21) of Harvey and Kirsten sarcoma viruses threonine kinase activity, which phosphorylates threonine 59 of the p21 proteins themselves. A tridecapeptide: Arg-Arg-Leu56-Asp-Thr-Thr59-Gly-Gln-Glu-Tyr-Ser-Ala66 containing residues 56-66 of p21 is phosphorylated solely on tyrosine by the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated tyrosine kinase of A431 cell membranes. Km-Values of 240 and 80 microM and Vmax values of 1.7 and 0.1 nmol.min-1.mg-1 were obtained in the presence and absence of EGF, respectively.

Primary structure of ovine pituitary basic fibroblast growth factor.

The complete amino acid sequence of basic FGF (146 residues) from ovine pituitary glands has been established. This has been achieved by the sequence analysis of subnanomole amounts of the intact molecule and of peptides derived by enzymatic digestions with clostripain, chymotrypsin, pepsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease. Microbore HPLC, employing 1-2 mm i.d. columns, was used to purify, concentrate and buffer-exchange the FGF peptides. A novel application of ion-pairing chromatography was employed to isolate peptides which were not retained on conventional reversed-phase systems. There is only one positional difference between the ovine and bovine basic FGFs, but there are 3 positional differences between ovine and human basic FGFS.

Affinity ranking of influenza neuraminidase mutants with monoclonal antibodies using an optical biosensor. Comparison with ELISA and slot blot assays.

A recently developed alternative to the more traditional techniques for studying antigen-antibody interactions has been examined. This method involves the use of an optical biosensor employing surface plasmon resonance detection. In this system one of the reactants is immobilized on the sensor surface and other reactants are passed over the sensor surface sequentially at a constant flow rate. Binding phenomena are detected in real time from changes in the angle at which surface plasmon resonance occurs. This is dependent, among other things, on changes in the refractive index (which is directly proportional to the mass) at or near to the sensor surface. Applications of this biosensor technique for comparing the binding of related neuraminidases, purified from escape mutants of influenza virus NWS/G70C/75 (N9), to two antibody Fab fragments, are described. These results were compared with those obtained from ELISA and slot blot assays on the same neuraminidases interacting with the same two monoclonal antibodies. The biosensor method was shown to be highly specific, permitting rapid screening of binding in such antigen-antibody systems.

A versatile physiological data analysis system using an Intel 8080 microprocessor.

A microprocessor based physiological data processor has been realised. The system controls the data flow from physiological experiments and performs on-line mean and variance calculations with an output in graphical form. The analyser accepts one data point every 0.5 ms and has a capacity of 128 records each containing 800 data points. Post stimulus histogram and interval histogram analysis programs have also been written and implemented.