Identification and characterization of a -1 reading frameshift in the heavy chain constant region of an IgG1 recombinant monoclonal antibody produced in CHO cells

Frameshifts lead to complete alteration of the intended amino acid sequences, and therefore may affect the biological activities of protein therapeutics and pose potential immunogenicity risks. We report here the identification and characterization of a novel -1 frameshift variant in a recombinant IgG1 therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells during the cell line selection studies. The variant was initially observed as an atypical post-monomer fragment peak in size exclusion chromatography. Characterization of the fragment peak using intact and reduced liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analyses determined that the fragment consisted of a normal light chain disulfide-linked to an aberrant 26 kDa fragment that could not be assigned to any HC fragment even after considering common modifications. Further analysis using LC-MS/MS peptide mapping revealed that the aberrant fragment contained the expected HC amino acid sequence (1-232) followed by a 20-mer novel sequence corresponding to expression of heavy chain DNA sequence in the -1 reading frame. Examination of the DNA sequence around the frameshift initiation site revealed that a mononucleotide repeat GGGGGG located in the IgG1 HC constant region was most likely the structural root cause of the frameshift. Rapid identification of the frameshift allowed us to avoid use of a problematic cell line containing the frameshift as the production cell line. The frameshift reported here may be observed in other mAb products and the hypothesis-driven analytical approaches employed here may be valuable for rapid identification and characterization of frameshift variants in other recombinant proteins.     

High‐throughput multiplex cpDNA resequencing clarifies the genetic diversity and genetic relationships among Brassica napus,Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea

Brassica napus (rapeseed) is a recent allotetraploid plant and the second most important oilseed crop worldwide. The origin of B. napus and the genetic relationships with its diploid ancestor species remain largely unresolved. Here, chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) from 488 B. napus accessions of global origin, 139 B. rapa accessions and 49 B. oleracea accessions were populationally resequenced using Illumina Solexa sequencing technologies. The intraspecific cpDNA variants and their allelic frequencies were called genomewide and further validated via EcoTILLING analyses of the rpo region. The cpDNA of the current global B. napus population comprises more than 400 variants (SNPs and short InDels) and maintains one predominant haplotype (Bncp1). Whole‐genome resequencing of the cpDNA of Bncp1 haplotype eliminated its direct inheritance from any accession of the B. rapa or B. oleracea species. The distribution of the polymorphism information content (PIC) values for each variant demonstrated that B. napus has much lower cpDNA diversity than B. rapa; however, a vast majority of the wild and cultivated B. oleracea specimens appeared to share one same distinct cpDNA haplotype, in contrast to its wild C‐genome relatives. This finding suggests that the cpDNA of the three Brassica species is well differentiated. The predominant B. napus cpDNA haplotype may have originated from uninvestigated relatives or from interactions between cpDNA mutations and natural/artificial selection during speciation and evolution. These exhaustive data on variation in cpDNA would provide fundamental data for research on cpDNA and chloroplasts.     

P2Y12 antagonist attenuates eosinophilic inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in a mouse model of asthma

Leukotriene E4 (LTE4) that plays a key role in airway inflammation is expressed on platelets and eosinophils. We investigated whether blocking of the P2Y12 receptor can suppress eosinophilic inflammation in a mouse model of asthma because platelets and eosinophils share this receptor to be activated. BALB/c mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA), followed by OVA nebulization. On each challenge day, clopidogrel, a P2Y12 antagonist was administered 30 min. before each challenge. Forty‐eight hours after the last OVA challenge, mice were assessed for airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), cell composition and cytokine levels, including chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. EOL cells were treated with LTE4, with or without clopidogrel treatment, and intracellular and extracellular eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) expressions were measured to find the inhibiting function of P2Y12 antagonist on eosinophilic activation. The levels of P2Y12 expression were increased markedly in the lung homogenates of OVA‐sensitized and ‐challenged mice after platelet depletion. Administration of clopidogrel decreased AHR and the number of airway inflammatory cells, including eosinophils, in BAL fluid following OVA challenge. These results were associated with decreased levels of Th2 cytokines and CCL5. Histological examination showed that inflammatory cells as well as mucus‐containing goblet cells were reduced in clopidogrel‐administered mice compared to vehicle‐treated mice. Clopidogrel inhibited extracellular ECP secretion after LTE4 stimulation in EOL‐1 cells. Clopidogrel could prevent development of AHR and airway inflammation in a mouse model of asthma. P2Y12 can be a novel therapeutic target to the suppression of eosinophils in asthma.     

A Multiplexed Assay for Exon Recognition Reveals that an Unappreciated Fraction of Rare Genetic Variants Cause Large-Effect Splicing Disruptions

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基于分子对接和系统药理学小青龙汤治疗哮喘的作用机制

为从分子层面阐述小青龙汤治疗哮喘的作用机制,探索小青龙汤的潜在靶标,本研究检索中药系统药理学数据库及分析平台(TCMSP)并根据口服生物利用度(oralbioavailability,OB)、药物相似性(drug-likeness,DL)筛选出小青龙汤的活性成分,利用Pharmmapper数据库筛选小青龙汤潜在作用靶点,挖掘CTD、Genecards数据库以筛选与哮喘相关的作用靶点,利用Cytoscape 3.6.1软件构建小青龙汤的蛋白互作网络图、化合物靶点图,并通过计算拓扑学参数找到小青龙汤中关键的作用靶点和化合物。对小青龙汤对哮喘的作用靶点进行GO分析和KEGG分析。利用iGEMDOCK软件进行分子对接,预测作用靶点和主要化合物的结合度。通过筛选得到小青龙汤活性成分、潜在作用靶点;GO分析得到43个生物学过程、11个细胞组成和9个分子功能;KEGG分析包括PI3K-Akt信号通路、HIF-1信号通路、Wnt信号通路等。初步验证和预测了小青龙汤对治疗哮喘的作用机制,并为进一步深入揭示其作用机制提供参考。     

A loop of coagulation factor VIIa influencing macromolecular substrate specificity

Coagulation factor VIIa (FVIIa) belongs to a family of proteases being part of the stepwise, self-amplifying blood coagulation cascade. To investigate the impact of the mutation Met(298{156})Lys in FVIIa, we replaced the Gly(283{140})-Met(298{156}) loop with the corresponding loop of factor Xa. The resulting variant exhibited increased intrinsic activity, concurrent with maturation of the active site, a less accessible N-terminus, and, interestingly, an altered macromolecular substrate specificity reflected in an increased ability to cleave factor IX (FIX) and a decreased rate of FX activation compared to that of wild-type FVIIa. In complex with tissue factor, activation of FIX, but not of FX, returned to normal. Deconvolution of the loop graft in order to identify important side chain substitutions resulted in the mutant Val(158{21})Asp/Leu(287{144})Thr/Ala(294{152})Ser/Glu(296{154}) Ile/Met(298{156})Lys-FVIIa with almost the same activity and specificity profile. We conclude that a lysine residue in position 298{156} of FVIIa requires a hydrophilic environment to be fully accommodated. This position appears critical for substrate specificity among the proteases of the blood coagulation cascade due to its prominent position in the macromolecular exosite and possibly via its interaction with the corresponding position in the substrate (i.e. FIX or FX).     

糖皮质激素下调JAK/STAT抑制嗜酸粒细胞哮喘

摘要 目的：探究糖皮质激素对嗜酸粒细胞哮喘(Eosinophilic asthma, EA) 2 型固有免疫细胞(Type 2 innate lymphoid cells, ILC2s)的影响及相关机制。方法：研究对象来自我院 2021年6月至 2022年6月的EA患者和健康对照（Healthy control, HC）,收集相应临床基线资料并评估病情、进行血常规、肺功能等检查;应用流式细胞术检测外周血单个核细胞（Peripheral blood mononuclear cell, PBMC） ILC2s(CD45+Lin-CD127+CD294+);ELISA检测外周血IL-5、IL-13浓度。糖皮质激素治疗EA 患者3月后,观察PBMC中ILC2s及IL-5、IL-13浓度。C57BL/6J小鼠给予鸡卵清蛋白(Ovalbumin,OVA) 20 μg 腹腔注射致敏后用1%OVA雾化吸入激发哮喘EA模型,阴性对照（Negative control, NC）组小鼠用同等体积PBS作为对照。EA造模成功的小鼠通过流式细胞术检测血液及肺泡灌洗液中ILC2s,HE染色检测小鼠肺泡灌洗液中嗜酸性粒细胞(Eosinophil, EOS)及肺部炎症。EA小鼠经糖皮质激素处理后,检测肺部炎症情况;流式细胞术检测PBMC、肺泡灌洗液（Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, BALF）中 ILC2s;分离肺组织ILC2s,western blot检测相关蛋白表达情况。结果：EA组的ILC2s比例升高, EOS升高,2型细胞因子IL-5、IL-13增加,糖皮质激素治疗1月及3月后ILC2s比例下降,2型细胞因子IL-5、IL-13下降。与NC组小鼠比较,EA组小鼠PBMC及BALF中ILC2s升高,BALF中EOS升高,血清中2型细胞因子IL-5、IL-13升高,肺部炎症加重。糖皮质激素治疗后,肺部炎症减轻,EOS下降,ILC2s减少,2型细胞因子IL-5、IL-13下降,下调JAK/STAT蛋白。结论：在EA中,糖皮质激素通过下调JAK/STAT蛋白抑制ILC2s的功能减轻肺部炎症,为激素治疗嗜酸性粒细胞哮喘的机制提供了新方向。     

综述与专论: 针对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2变异株Omicron的疫苗研究进展

2021年底,严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2 Omicron变异株迅速取代Delta突变株在世界范围内广泛流行,其S蛋白具有36个位点突变,导致致病力和传播力发生明显变化,并且具备了免疫逃逸的能力。疫苗接种是目前疫情防控最普适的手段,研究发现,现有疫苗针对Omicron突变株的保护效果明显下降。新的免疫策略或特异性疫苗/多价疫苗针对Omicron有效性的评估均需要动物模型的支撑。在实验室条件下,利用动物模型进行活病毒攻击实验,是在体内验证保护性中和抗体、疫苗有效性的关键技术手段,本文将从动物模型方向综述国内外针对Omicron变异株的疫苗研究进展。     

MicroRNA-638 inhibits human airway smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration through targeting cyclin D1 and NOR1

Abnormal airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) proliferation and migration contribute significantly to increased ASM mass associated with asthma. MicroRNA (miR)-638 is a primate-specific miRNA that plays important roles in development, DNA damage repair, hematopoiesis, and tumorigenesis. Although it is highly expressed in ASMCs, its function in ASM remodeling remains unknown. In the current study, we found that in response to various mitogenic stimuli, including platelet-derived growth factor-two B chains (PDGF-BB), transforming growth factor β1, and fetal bovine serum, the expression of miR-638, as determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), was significantly downregulated in the proliferative human ASMCs. Both gain- and loss-of-function studies were performed to study the role of miR-638 in ASMC proliferation and migration. We found that adenovirus-mediated miR-638 overexpression markedly inhibits ASMC proliferation and migration, while ablation of miR-638 by anti-miR-638 markedly increases cell proliferation and migration, as determined by WST-8 proliferation and scratch wound assays. Dual-luciferase reporter assay, qRT-PCR, and immunoblot analysis were used to investigate the effects of miR-638 on the expression of the downstream target genes in ASMCs. Our results demonstrated that miR-638 overexpression significantly reduced the expression of downstream target cyclin D1 and NOR1, both of which have been shown to be essential for cell proliferation and migration. Together, our study provides the first in vitro evidence highlighting the antiproliferative and antimigratory roles of miR-638 in human ASMC remodeling and suggests that targeted overexpression of miR-638 in ASMCs may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for preventing ASM hyperplasia associated with asthma.     

Immunoresolvents in asthma and allergic diseases: Review and update

Asthma and allergic diseases are inflammatory conditions developed by excessive reaction of the immune system against normally harmless environmental substances. Although acute inflammation is necessary to eradicate the damaging agents, shifting to chronic inflammation can be potentially detrimental. Essential fatty-acids-derived immunoresolvents, namely, lipoxins, resolvins, protectins, and maresins, are anti-inflammatory compounds that are believed to have protective and beneficial effects in inflammatory disorders, including asthma and allergies. Accordingly, impaired biosynthesis and defective production of immunoresolvents could be involved in the development of chronic inflammation. In this review, recent evidence on the anti-inflam]matory effects of immunoresolvents, their enzymatic biosynthesis routes, as well as their receptors are discussed.