TY - JOUR A1 - Tscheuschner, Georg A1 - Kaiser, Melanie N. A1 - Lisec, Jan A1 - Beslic, D. A1 - Muth, Thilo A1 - Krüger, M. A1 - Mages, H. W. A1 - Dorner, B. G. A1 - Knospe, J. A1 - Schenk, J. A. A1 - Sellrie, F. A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - MALDI-TOF-MS-Based Identification of Monoclonal Murine Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies within One Hour N2 - During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many virus-binding monoclonal antibodies have been developed for clinical and diagnostic purposes. This underlines the importance of antibodies as universal bioanalytical reagents. However, little attention is given to the reproducibility crisis that scientific studies are still facing to date. In a recent study, not even half of all research antibodies mentioned in publications could be identified at all. This should spark more efforts in the search for practical solutions for the traceability of antibodies. For this purpose, we used 35 monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 to demonstrate how sequence-independent antibody identification can be achieved by simple means applied to the protein. First, we examined the intact and light chain masses of the antibodies relative to the reference material NIST-mAb 8671. Already half of the antibodies could be identified based solely on these two parameters. In addition, we developed two complementary peptide mass fingerprinting methods with MALDI-TOF-MS that can be performed in 60 min and had a combined sequence coverage of over 80%. One method is based on the partial acidic hydrolysis of the protein by 5 mM of sulfuric acid at 99 degrees C. Furthermore, we established a fast way for a tryptic digest without an alkylation step. We were able to show that the distinction of clones is possible simply by a brief visual comparison of the mass spectra. In this work, two clones originating from the same immunization gave the same fingerprints. Later, a hybridoma sequencing confirmed the sequence identity of these sister clones. In order to automate the spectral comparison for larger libraries of antibodies, we developed the online software ABID 2.0. This open-source software determines the number of matching peptides in the fingerprint spectra. We propose that publications and other documents critically relying on monoclonal antibodies with unknown amino acid sequences should include at least one antibody fingerprint. By fingerprinting an antibody in question, its identity can be confirmed by comparison with a library spectrum at any time and context. KW - Reproducibility KW - Quality control KW - Traceability KW - Peptides KW - Peptide mass fingerprinting KW - Monoclonal antibody KW - Recombinant antibody KW - Identity KW - Antibody identification KW - Sequencing KW - Light chain KW - Mass spectrometry KW - Software KW - Open science KW - Library KW - COVID-19 KW - Corona virus KW - Sequence coverage KW - NIST-mAb 8671 KW - Reference material KW - RBD KW - Spike protein KW - Nucleocapsid KW - Cleavage KW - Tryptic digest KW - MALDI KW - DHAP KW - 2,5-dihydroxyacetophenone KW - Github KW - Zenodo KW - ABID PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-547347 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/antib11020027 VL - 11 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 22 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-54734 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Backes, A. T. A1 - Reinmuth-Selzle, K. A1 - Leifke, A. L. A1 - Ziegler, K. A1 - Krevert, C. S. A1 - Tscheuschner, Georg A1 - Lucas, K. A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Berkemeier, T. A1 - Pöschl, U. A1 - Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J. T1 - Oligomerization and Nitration of the Grass Pollen Allergen Phl p 5 by Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Peroxynitrite: Reaction Products, Kinetics, and Health Effects N2 - The allergenic and inflammatory potential of proteins can be enhanced by chemical modification upon exposure to atmospheric or physiological oxidants. The molecular mechanisms and kinetics of such modifications, however, have not yet been fully resolved. We investigated the oligomerization and nitration of the grass pollen allergen Phl p 5 by ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and peroxynitrite (ONOO–). Within several hours of exposure to atmospherically relevant concentration levels of O3 and NO2, up to 50% of Phl p 5 were converted into protein oligomers, likely by formation of dityrosine cross-links. Assuming that tyrosine residues are the preferential site of nitration, up to 10% of the 12 tyrosine residues per protein monomer were nitrated. For the reaction with peroxynitrite, the largest oligomer mass fractions (up to 50%) were found for equimolar concentrations of peroxynitrite over tyrosine residues. With excess peroxynitrite, the nitration degrees increased up to 40% whereas the oligomer mass fractions decreased to 20%. Our results suggest that protein oligomerization and nitration are competing processes, which is consistent with a two-step mechanism involving a reactive oxygen intermediate (ROI), as observed for other proteins. The modified proteins can promote pro-inflammatory cellular signaling that may contribute to chronic inflammation and allergies in response to air pollution. KW - Protein KW - Nitrotyrosine KW - Dityrosine KW - Allergy KW - Hay fever KW - Diesel exhaust KW - Combustion KW - Exhaust PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-529729 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22147616 VL - 22 IS - 14 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-52972 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Paul, Martin A1 - Tannenberg, Robert A1 - Tscheuschner, Georg A1 - Wilke, Marco A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - Cocaine Detection by a Laser-induced Immunofluorometric Biosensor N2 - The trafficking of illegal drugs by criminal networks at borders, harbors, or airports is an increasing issue in public health as these routes ensure the main supply of illegal drugs. The prevention of drug smuggling, including the installation of scanners and other analytical devices to detect ultra-small traces of drugs within a reasonable time frame, remains a challenge. The presented immunosensor is based on a monolithic affinity column with a large excess of immobilized hapten, which traps fluorescently labeled antibodies as long as the analyte cocaine is absent. In the presence of the drug, some binding sites of the antibody will be blocked, which leads to an immediate breakthrough of the labeled protein, detectable by highly sensitive laser-induced fluorescence with the help of a Peltier-cooled complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) camera. Liquid handling is performed with high-precision syringe pumps and microfluidic chip-based mixing devices and flow cells. The biosensor achieved limits of detection of 23 pM (7 ppt) of cocaine with a response time of 90 seconds and a total assay time below 3 minutes. With surface wipe sampling, the biosensor was able to detect 300 pg of cocaine. This immunosensor belongs to the most sensitive and fastest detectors for cocaine and offers near-continuous analyte measurement. KW - Drug search KW - Customs KW - Confiscation KW - Border surveillance KW - Narcotics KW - International drug trade KW - Drug trafficking KW - Illicit drug KW - Immunosensor KW - Antibodies KW - Detection PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-529951 DO - https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202107.0521.v1 SP - 1 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-52995 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Keller, S. A1 - Borde, T. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Schulze, D. A1 - Buchholz, R. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Karst, U. A1 - Schellenberger, E. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Assessment of the hepatic tumor extracellular matrix using elastin‑specific molecular magnetic resonance imaging in an experimental rabbit cancer model N2 - To investigate the imaging performance of an elastin-specific molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probe with respect to the extracellular matrix (ECM) in an experimental hepatic cancer model. Twelve rabbits with hepatic VX2 tumors were examined using 3 T MRI 14, 21, and 28 days after tumor implantation for two subsequent days (gadobutrol, day 1; elastin-specific probe, day 2). The relative enhancement (RE) of segmented tumor regions (central and margin) and the peritumoral matrix was calculated using pre-contrast and delayed-phase T1w sequences. MRI measurements were correlated to histopathology and element-specific and spatially resolved mass spectrometry (MS). Mixed-model analysis was performed to assess the performance of the elastin-specific probe. In comparison to gadobutrol, the elastin probe showed significantly stronger RE, which was pronounced in the tumor margin (day 14–28: P ≤ 0.007). In addition, the elastin probe was superior in discriminating between tumor regions (χ2(4) = 65.87; P < 0.001). MRI-based measurements of the elastin probe significantly correlated with the ex vivo elastinstain (R = .84; P <0 .001) and absolute gadolinium concentrations (ICP-MS: R = .73, P <0 .01). LA-ICP-MS imaging confirmed the colocalization of the elastin-specific probe with elastic fibers. Elastin-specific molecular MRI is superior to non-specific gadolinium-based contrast agents in imaging the ECM of hepatic tumors and the peritumoral tissue. KW - Elastin-specific molecular agent KW - Extracellular matrix KW - Hepatocellular carcinoma KW - Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy KW - Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - MR imaging KW - ESMA KW - Gadolinium PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-517360 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77624-8 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 20785 PB - Nature AN - OPUS4-51736 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Mangarova, D. B. A1 - Moeckel, J. A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Buchholz, R. A1 - Karst, U. A1 - Botnar, R. M. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. A1 - Keller, S. T1 - Effect of Doxycycline on Survival in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in a Mouse Model N2 - Background. Currently, there is no reliable nonsurgical treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). This study, therefore, investigates if doxycycline reduces AAA growth and the number of rupture-related deaths in a murine ApoE−/− model of AAA and whether gadofosveset trisodium-based MRI differs between animals with and without doxycycline treatment. Methods. Nine ApoE−/− mice were implanted with osmotic minipumps continuously releasing angiotensin II and treated with doxycycline (30 mg/kg/d) in parallel. After four weeks, MRI was performed at 3T with a clinical dose of the albumin-binding probe gadofosveset (0.03 mmol/kg). Results were compared with previously published wild-type control animals and with previously studied ApoE−/− animals without doxycycline treatment. Differences in mortality were also investigated between these groups. Results. In a previous study, we found that approximately 25% of angiotensin II-infused ApoE−/− mice died, whereas in the present study, only one out of 9 angiotensin II-infused and doxycycline-treated ApoE−/− mice (11.1%) died within 4 weeks. Furthermore, doxycycline-treated ApoE−/− mice showed significantly lower contrast-to-noise (CNR) values in MRI compared to ApoE−/− mice without doxycycline treatment. In vivo measurements of relative signal enhancement (CNR) correlated significantly with ex vivo measurements of albumin staining (R2 = 0.58). In addition, a strong visual colocalization of albumin-positive areas in the fluorescence albumin staining with gadolinium distribution in LA-ICP-MS was shown. However, no significant difference in aneurysm size was observed after doxycycline treatment. Conclusion. The present experimental in vivo study suggests that doxycycline treatment may reduce rupture-related deaths in AAA by slowing endothelial damage without reversing aneurysm growth. KW - Ggadolinium KW - MRI KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - Osmotic minipumps KW - Tetracyclin KW - Antibiotics KW - Angiotensin II KW - LA-ICP-MS PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-527015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/9999847 SP - 9999847 PB - Hindawi CY - London AN - OPUS4-52701 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - The Protocol Gap N2 - Although peer review is considered one of the main pillars of modern science, experimental methods and protocols seem to be not a rigorous subject of this process in many papers. Commercial equipment, test kits, labeling kits, previously published concepts, and standard protocols are often considered to be not worth a detailed description or validation. Even more disturbing is the extremely biased citation behavior in this context, which sometimes leads to surrogate citations to avoid low-impact journals, preprints, or to indicate traditional practices. This article describes some of these surprising habits and suggests some measures to avoid the most unpleasant effects, which in the long term may undermine the credibility of science as a whole. KW - Validation KW - Peer review KW - Experiment KW - Documentation KW - Scientific publication KW - Reproducibility crisis KW - Replication crisis KW - Trust KW - Citation KW - References KW - Surrogate citations KW - Impact PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-521440 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/mps4010012 SN - 2409-9279 VL - 4 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-52144 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Zhao, J. A1 - Mangarova, D. B. A1 - Moeckel, J. A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Sack, I. A1 - Taupitz, M. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Molecular MR Imaging of Prostate Cancer N2 - This review summarizes recent developments regarding molecular imaging markers for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of prostate cancer (PCa). Currently, the clinical standard includes MR imaging using unspecific gadolinium-based contrast agents. Specific molecular probes for the diagnosis of PCa could improve the molecular characterization of the tumor in a non-invasive examination. Furthermore, molecular probes could enable targeted therapies to suppress tumor growth or reduce the tumor size. KW - Prostate cancer KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - Molecular imaging KW - Imaging KW - Molecular marker KW - Screening KW - MRI KW - Diagnosis PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-519503 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9010001 VL - 9 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-51950 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ziegler, K. A1 - Kunert, A. T. A1 - Reinmuth-Selzle, K. A1 - Leifke, A. L. A1 - Widera, D. A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Schuppan, D. A1 - Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J. A1 - Lucas, K. A1 - Pöschl, U. T1 - Chemical modification of pro-inflammatory proteins by peroxynitrite increases activation of TLR4 and NF-κB: Implications for the health effects of air pollution and oxidative stress N2 - Environmental pollutants like fine particulate matter can cause adverse health effects through oxidative stress and inflammation. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) such as peroxynitrite can chemically modify proteins, but the effects of such modifications on the immune system and human health are not well understood. In the course of inflammatory processes, the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) can sense damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Here, we investigate how the TLR4 response and pro-inflammatory potential of the proteinous DAMPs α-Synuclein (α-Syn), heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), and high-mobility-group box 1 protein (HMGB1), which are relevant in neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, changes upon chemical modification with peroxynitrite. For the peroxynitrite-modified proteins, we found a strongly enhanced activation of TLR4 and the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB in stable reporter cell lines as well as increased mRNA expression and secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8 in human monocytes (THP-1). This enhanced activation of innate immunity via TLR4 is mediated by covalent chemical modifications of the studied DAMPs. Our results show that proteinous DAMPs modified by peroxynitrite more potently amplify inflammation via TLR4 activation than the native DAMPs, and provide first evidence that such modifications can directly enhance innate immune responses via a defined receptor. These findings suggest that environmental pollutants and related ROS/RNS may play a role in promoting acute and chronic inflammatory disorders by structurally modifying the body's own DAMPs. This may have important consequences for chronic neurodegenerative, cardiovascular or gastrointestinal diseases that are prevalent in modern societies, and calls for action, to improve air quality and climate in the Anthropocene. KW - Protein nitration KW - Protein oligomerization KW - Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) KW - Pattern recognition receptor KW - Anthropocene KW - Environmental pollutants PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-517128 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2020.101581 VL - 37 SP - 101581 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-51712 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lemke, Nora A1 - El-Khatib, Ahmed H. A1 - Tchipilov, Teodor A1 - Jakubowski, N. A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Vogl, Jochen T1 - Procedure providing SI‑traceable results for the calibration of protein standards by sulfur determination and its application on tau N2 - Quantitative proteomics is a growing research area and one of the most important tools in the life sciences. Well-characterized and quantified protein standards are needed to achieve accurate and reliable results. However, only a limited number of sufficiently characterized protein standards are currently available. To fill this gap, a method for traceable protein quantification using sulfur isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed in this study. Gel filtration and membrane filtration were tested for the separation of non-protein-bound sulfur in the protein solution. Membrane filtration demonstrated a better performance due to the lower workload and the very low sulfur blanks of 11 ng, making it well suited for high-purity proteins such as NIST SRM 927, a bovine serum albumin (BSA). The method development was accomplished with NIST SRM 927e and a commercial avidin. The quantified mass fraction of NIST SRM 927e agreed very well with the certified value and showed similar uncertainties (3.6%) as established methods while requiring less sample preparation and no species-specific standards. Finally, the developed procedure was applied to the tau protein, which is a biomarker for a group of neurodegenerative diseases denoted “tauopathies” including, e.g., Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. For the absolute quantification of tau in the brain of transgenic mice overexpressing human tau, a well-defined calibration standard was needed. Therefore, a pure tau solution was quantified, yielding a protein mass fraction of (0.328 ± 0.036) g/kg, which was confirmed by amino acid analysis. KW - Iinductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry KW - Isotope dilution KW - Quantitative protein analysis KW - Sulfur KW - SI traceability PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-545200 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-022-03974-z VL - 414 SP - 4441 EP - 4455 PB - Springer Verlag AN - OPUS4-54520 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reinmuth-Selzle, K. A1 - Tchipilov, Teodor A1 - Backes, A. T. A1 - Tscheuschner, Georg A1 - Tang, K. A1 - Ziegler, K. A1 - Lucas, K. A1 - Pöschl, U. A1 - Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J. A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - Determination of the protein content of complex samples by aromatic amino acid analysis, liquid chromatography-UV absorbance, and colorimetry N2 - Fast and accurate determination of the protein content of a sample is an important and non-trivial task of many biochemical, biomedical, food chemical, pharmaceutical, and environmental research activities. Different methods of total protein determination are used for a wide range of proteins with highly variable properties in complex matrices. These methods usually work reasonably well for proteins under controlled conditions, but the results for non-standard and complex samples are often questionable. Here, we compare new and well-established methods, including traditional amino acid analysis (AAA), aromatic amino acid analysis (AAAA) based on the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, reversed-phase liquid chromatography of intact proteins with UV absorbance measurements at 220 and 280 nm (LC-220, LC-280), and colorimetric assays like Coomassie Blue G-250 dye-binding assay (Bradford) and bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay. We investigated different samples, including proteins with challenging properties, chemical modifications, mixtures, and complex matrices like air particulate matter and pollen extracts. All methods yielded accurate and precise results for the protein and matrix used for calibration. AAA, AAAA with fluorescence detection, and the LC-220 method yielded robust results even under more challenging conditions (variable analytes and matrices). These methods turned out to be well-suited for reliable determination of the protein content in a wide range of samples, such as air particulate matter and pollen. KW - Air particulate matter KW - Aromatic amino acid analysis KW - Atmospheric aerosol KW - Chemical protein modification KW - Derivatization KW - Nitration KW - Nitrotyrosine KW - LC-UV absorbance KW - Pollen extract KW - Protein quantification KW - Protein test KW - Kjeldahl KW - Tyrosine KW - Phenylalanine KW - Hydrolysis KW - Bradford KW - BCA test KW - 280 nm KW - Air filter samples KW - Fluorescence KW - HPLC KW - Chromatography KW - Protein content KW - 150th anniversary of BAM KW - Topical collection: Analytical Methods and Applications in the Materials and Life Sciences PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-545924 UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35320366/ DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-022-03910-1 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Springer Nature Limited CY - New York, Heidelberg AN - OPUS4-54592 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -