TY - JOUR A1 - Cervino, C. A1 - Knopp, D. A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Niessner, R. T1 - Novel Aflatoxin derivatives and protein conjugates N2 - Aflatoxins, a group of structurally related mycotoxins, are well known for their toxic and carcinogenic effects in humans and animals. Aflatoxin derivatives and protein conjugates are needed for diverse analytical applications. This work describes a reliable and fast synthesis of novel aflatoxin derivatives, purification by preparative HPLC and characterisation by ESI-MS and one- and two-dimensional NMR. Novel aflatoxin bovine serum albumin conjugates were prepared and characterised by UV absorption and MALDI-MS. These aflatoxin protein conjugates are potentially interesting as immunogens for the generation of aflatoxin selective antibodies with novel specificities. KW - Aflatoxin KW - Mycotoxin KW - Hapten KW - Protein conjugation KW - Immunogen KW - Antigen KW - Antibody PY - 2007 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-147572 UR - http://www.mdpi.org/molecules/papers/12030641.pdf UR - http://www.mdpi.org/molecules/papers/12030641sm.pdf DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/12030641 SN - 1420-3049 VL - 12 IS - 3 SP - 641 EP - 653 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-14757 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reinmuth-Selzle, K. A1 - Kampf, C. J. A1 - Lucas, K. A1 - Lang-Yona, N. A1 - Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J. A1 - Shiraiwa, M. A1 - Lakey, P. S. J. A1 - Lai, S. A1 - Liu, F. A1 - Kunert, A. T. A1 - Ziegler, K. A1 - Shen, F. A1 - Sgarbanti, R. A1 - Weber, B. A1 - Bellinghausen, I. A1 - Saloga, J. A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Duschl, A. A1 - Schuppan, D. A1 - Pöschl, U. T1 - Air pollution and climate change effects on allergies in the anthropocene: Abundance, interaction, and modification of allergens and adjuvants N2 - Air pollution and climate change are potential drivers for the increasing burden of allergic diseases. The molecular mechanisms by which air pollutants and climate parameters may influence allergic diseases, however, are complex and elusive. This article provides an overview of physical, chemical and biological interactions between air pollution, climate change, allergens, adjuvants and the immune system, addressing how these interactions may promote the development of allergies. We reviewed and synthesized key findings from atmospheric, climate, and biomedical research. The current state of knowledge, open questions, and future research perspectives are outlined and discussed. The Anthropocene, as the present era of globally pervasive anthropogenic influence on planet Earth and, thus, on the human environment, is characterized by a strong increase of carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides, and combustion- or traffic-related particulate matter in the atmosphere. These environmental factors can enhance the abundance and induce chemical modifications of allergens, increase oxidative stress in the human body, and skew the immune system toward allergic reactions. In particular, air pollutants can act as adjuvants and alter the immunogenicity of allergenic proteins, while climate change affects the atmospheric abundance and human exposure to bioaerosols and aeroallergens. To fully understand and effectively mitigate the adverse effects of air pollution and climate change on allergic diseases, several challenges remain to be resolved. Among these are the identification and quantification of immunochemical reaction pathways involving allergens and adjuvants under relevant environmental and physiological conditions. KW - Allergie KW - Klimaveränderung KW - Luftverschmutzung KW - Partikel KW - Ozon KW - Stickoxide KW - Allergene KW - Adjuvantien KW - PALM KW - DAMP PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-404531 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b04908 SN - 1520-5851 SN - 0013-936X VL - 51 IS - 8 SP - 4119 EP - 4141 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) CY - Washington AN - OPUS4-40453 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Abbas, Ioana M. A1 - Schwaar, Timm A1 - Bienwald, Frank A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - Predictable Peptide Conjugation Ratios by Activation of Proteins with Succinimidyl Iodoacetate (SIA) N2 - The small heterobifunctional linker succinimidyl iodoacetate (SIA) was examined for the preparation of peptide–protein bioconjugates with predicable conjugation ratios. For many conjugation protocols, the protein is either treated with a reductant to cleave disulfide bonds or is reacted with thiolation chemicals, such as Traut’s reagent. Both approaches are difficult to control, need individual optimization and often lead to unsatisfactory results. In another popular approach, a heterobifunctional linker with a N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and a maleimide functionality is applied to the protein. After the activation of some lysine ε-amino groups with the NHS ester functionality, a cysteine-containing peptide is attached to the activated carrier protein via maleimide. Particularly, the maleimide reaction leads to some unwanted byproducts or even cleavage of the linker. Many protocols end up with conjugates with unpredictable and irreproducible conjugation ratios. In addition, the maleimide-thiol addition product should be assumed immunogenic in vivo. To avoid these and other disadvantages of the maleimide approach, we examined the known linker succinimidyl iodoacetate (SIA) in more detail and developed two protocols, which lead to peptide–protein conjugates with predefined average conjugation ratios. This holds potential to eliminate tedious and expensive optimization steps for the synthesis of a bioconjugate of optimal composition. KW - Bioconjugate KW - Carrier protein KW - Immunogen KW - Hapten KW - Linker KW - Antibody drug conjugate KW - ADC KW - Drug-to-antibody ratio KW - DAR KW - Conjugation ratio KW - Conjugation density KW - Carrier load KW - Click reaction KW - Click chemistry PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-427188 UR - http://www.mdpi.com/2409-9279/1/1/2 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/mps1010002 SN - 2409-9279 VL - 1 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Schweiz AN - OPUS4-42718 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lucassen, F. A1 - Pritzkow, Wolfgang A1 - Rosner, M. A1 - Sepulveda, F. A1 - Vasquez, P. A1 - Wilke, H. A1 - Kasemann, S. A. T1 - The stable isotope composition of nitrogen and carbon and elemental contents in modern and fossil seabird guano from Northern Chile – Marine sources and diagenetic effects N2 - Seabird excrements (guano) have been preserved in the arid climate of Northern Chile since at least the Pliocene. The deposits of marine organic material in coastal areas potentially open a window into the present and past composition of the coastal ocean and its food web. We use the stable isotope composition of nitrogen and carbon as well as element contents to compare the principal prey of the birds, the Peruvian anchovy, with the composition of modern guano. We also investigate the impact of diagenetic changes on the isotopic composition and elemental contents of the pure ornithogenic sediments, starting with modern stratified deposits and extending to fossil guano. Where possible, 14C systematics is used for age information. The nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of the marine prey (Peruvian anchovy) of the birds is complex as it shows strong systematic variations with latitude. The detailed study of a modern profile that represents a few years of guano deposition up to present reveals systematic changes in nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition towards heavier values that increase with age, i.e. depth. Only the uppermost, youngest layers of modern guano show compositional affinity to the prey of the birds. In the profile, the simultaneous loss of nitrogen and carbon occurs by degassing, and non-volatile elements like phosphorous and calcium are passively enriched in the residual guano. Fossil guano deposits are very low in nitrogen and low in carbon contents, and show very heavy nitrogen isotopic compositions. One result of the study is that the use of guano for tracing nitrogen and carbon isotopic and elemental composition in the marine food web of the birds is restricted to fresh material. Despite systematic changes during diagenesis, there is little promise to retrieve reliable values of marine nitrogen and carbon signatures from older guano. However, the changes in isotopic composition from primary marine nitrogen isotopic signatures towards very heavy values generate a compositionally unique material. These compositions trace the presence of guano in natural ecosystems and its use as fertilizer in present and past agriculture. KW - Isotope ratio KW - VPDB KW - Fishmeal KW - Elemental analyser KW - Vario EL III KW - Casein standard KW - ICP-OES KW - Accelerator mass spectrometry PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-407911 DO - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179440 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 12 IS - 6 SP - Article e0179440, 1 EP - 25 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco, California, US AN - OPUS4-40791 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - Referee Report 06 March 2017 N2 - This article is a valuable and welcome contribution to the ongoing discussion of antibody quality. The suggestion of a two-tier approach is helpful to distinguish between simple descriptive data and the validation of an antibody for a specified application. KW - Antibody KW - Validation PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-393333 UR - https://f1000research.com/articles/6-161/v1#referee-response-20349 DO - https://doi.org/10.5256/f1000research.11700.r20349 SN - 2046-1402 SP - 6 EP - 7 PB - F1000 Research Ltd. CY - London AN - OPUS4-39333 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Liu, F. A1 - Lai, S. A1 - Tong, H. A1 - Lakey, P. S. J. A1 - Shiraiwa, M. A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Pöschl, U. A1 - Kampf, C. J. T1 - Release of free amino acids upon oxidation of peptides and proteins by hydroxyl radicals N2 - Hydroxyl radical-induced oxidation of proteins and peptides can lead to the cleavage of the peptide, leading to a release of fragments. Here, we used high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) and pre-column online ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA) derivatization-based amino acid analysis by HPLC with diode array detection and fluorescence detection to identify and quantify free amino acids released upon oxidation of proteins and peptides by hydroxyl radicals. Bovine serum albumin (BSA), ovalbumin (OVA) as model proteins, and synthetic tripeptides (comprised of varying compositions of the amino acids Gly, Ala, Ser, and Met) were used for reactions with hydroxyl radicals, which were generated by the Fenton reaction of iron ions and hydrogen peroxide. The molar yields of free glycine, aspartic acid, asparagine, and alanine per peptide or protein varied between 4 and 55%. For protein oxidation reactions, the molar yields of Gly (∼32-55% for BSA, ∼10-21% for OVA) were substantially higher than those for the other identified amino acids (∼5-12% for BSA, ∼4-6% for OVA). Upon oxidation of tripeptides with Gly in C-terminal, mid-chain, or N-terminal positions, Gly was preferentially released when it was located at the C-terminal site. Overall, we observe evidence for a site-selective formation of free amino acids in the OH radical-induced oxidation of peptides and proteins, which may be due to a reaction pathway involving nitrogen-centered radicals. KW - Peptides KW - Proteins KW - Oxidation KW - Hydroxyl radicals KW - LC-MS KW - Amino acid analysis KW - Bovine serum albumin KW - Ovalbumin KW - Tripeptides KW - Ortho-Phthalaldehyde KW - AAA KW - Degradation KW - Fragmentation KW - Mechanism PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-398714 UR - http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00216-017-0188-y DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-017-0188-y SN - 1618-2650 SN - 1618-2642 VL - 409 IS - 9 SP - 2411 EP - 2420 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg AN - OPUS4-39871 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - Quality issues of research antibodies N2 - According to several recent studies, an unexpectedly high number of landmark papers seem to be not reproducible by Independent laboratories. Nontherapeutic antibodies used for research, diagnostic, food analytical, environmental, and other purposes play a significant role in this matter. Although some papers have been published offering suggestions to improve the situation, they do not seem to be comprehensive enough to cover the full complexity of this issue. In addition, no obvious improvements could be noticed in the field as yet. This article tries to consolidate the remarkable variety of conclusions and suggested activities into a more coherent conception. It is concluded that funding agencies and journal publishers need to take first and immediate measures to resolve these problems and lead the way to a more sustainable way of bioanalytical research, on which all can rely with confidence. KW - reproducibility crisis KW - irreproducibility KW - replication KW - paper retraction KW - peer reviewimmunochemistry KW - immunoassay KW - ligand binding assay KW - monoclonal antibody KW - quality control KW - cross-reactivity KW - non-specific binding KW - selectivity PY - 2016 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-356254 DO - https://doi.org/10.4137/ACI.S31614 SN - 1177-3901 VL - 11 SP - 21 EP - 27 PB - Libertas Academica CY - Auckland, New Zealand AN - OPUS4-35625 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klykov, Oleg A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - Quantification of N-hydroxysuccinimide and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide by hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) N2 - N-Hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters are the most important activated esters used in many different bioconjugation techniques, such as protein labelling by fluorescent dyes and enzymes, surface activation of chromatographic supports, microbeads, nanoparticles, and microarray slides, and also in the chemical synthesis of peptides. Usually, reactions with NHS esters are very reliable and of high yield, however, the compounds are sensitive to air moisture and water traces in solvents. Therefore, the quantification of NHS would be a very helpful approach to identify reagent impurities or degradation of stored NHS esters. No robust and sensitive method for the detection of NHS (or the more hydrophilic sulfo-NHS) has been reported yet. Here, a chromatographic method based on HILIC conditions and UV detection is presented, reaching a detection limit of about 1 mg L-1, which should be sensitive enough for most of the applications mentioned above. Exemplarily, the hydrolytic degradation of a biotin-NHS ester and a purity check of a fluorescent dye NHS ester are shown. An important advantage of this approach is its universality, since not the structurally variable ester compound is monitored, but the constant degradation product NHS or sulfo-NHS, which avoids the necessity to optimize the separation conditions and facilitates calibration considerably. KW - NHS KW - Sulfo-NHS KW - NHS-Ester KW - Qualitätskontrolle KW - Reinheitsbestimmung KW - HPLC PY - 2015 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-337833 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c5ay00042d SN - 1759-9660 SN - 1759-9679 VL - 7 IS - 15 SP - 6443 EP - 6448 PB - RSC Publ. CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-33783 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Weller, Michael G. T1 - Interview with Dr Michael G. Weller N2 - This author interview is by Dr Michael G. Weller, Head of Division 1.5 Protein Analysis at Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). BAM (www.bam.de/en) is a senior scientific and technical institute with responsibility to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Dr Weller's review paper, Quality issues of research antibodies is available for download in Analytical Chemistry Insights. KW - Antibodies KW - Quality KW - Reproducibility PY - 2016 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-392326 UR - http://insights.sagepub.com/la_press_news.php?pa=view&news_item_id=4025 SP - 1 PB - SAGE CY - London AN - OPUS4-39232 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fröhlich-Nowoisky, J. A1 - Bothen, N. A1 - Backes, A. T. A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Pöschl, U. T1 - Oligomerization and tyrosine nitration enhance the allergenic potential of the birch and grass pollen allergens Bet v 1 and Phl p 5 N2 - Protein modifications such as oligomerization and tyrosine nitration alter the immune response to allergens and may contribute to the increasing prevalence of allergic diseases. In this mini-review, we summarize and discuss relevant findings for the major birch and grass pollen allergens Bet v 1 and Phl p 5 modified with tetranitromethane (laboratory studies), peroxynitrite (physiological processes), and ozone and nitrogen dioxide environmental conditions). We focus on tyrosine nitration and the formation of protein dimers and higher oligomers via dityrosine cross-linking and the immunological effects studied. N2 - Proteinmodifikationen wie Oligomerisierung und Tyrosinnitrierung verändern die Immunantwort auf Allergene und tragen möglicherweise zur zunehmenden Prävalenz allergischer Erkrankungen bei. In diesem Mini-Review fassen wir relevante Befunde zu den wichtigsten Birken- und Gräserpollenallergenen Bet v 1 und Phl p 5 zusammen, die mit Tetranitromethan (Laborstudien), Peroxynitrit (physiologische Prozesse) und Ozon und Stickstoffdioxid (Umweltbedingungen). Wir konzentrieren uns auf die Tyrosin-Nitrierung und die Bildung von Proteindimeren und höheren Oligomeren durch Dityrosin-Vernetzung und deren immunologischen Auswirkungen. KW - Allergy KW - Nitration KW - Protein oligomers KW - Air pollution KW - Ozone KW - Nitrogen oxides KW - Tyrosine KW - Nitrotyrosine KW - Dityrosine KW - Dityrosine crosslinking KW - Protein degradation KW - Neoepitopes KW - Neoallergen KW - IgE KW - Immunoglobulin E PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-591453 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/falgy.2023.1303943 VL - 4 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Switzerland AN - OPUS4-59145 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -