Publications by authors named "Feliciana Real-Fernandez"
Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a TGF-β superfamily member involved in diverse physiological and pathological processes. It is expressed in various tissues and its circulating levels rise during exercise, aging, pregnancy, and conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and infections. The biological activities of GDF15, including anorexia and cachexia, are primarily mediated through the GFRAL receptor, localized in the brainstem and functioning via RET co-receptor recruitment.
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- A study under the European LIFE project is investigating the presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in 20 types of infant formulas and in baby bottles and teats, highlighting the risks posed by these chemicals, especially during pregnancy and infancy.* -
- The study used advanced analytical methods to test for 85 different chemicals, finding low levels of certain harmful substances like phthalates and PAHs in baby products, raising concerns about exposure.* -
- While some chemicals were absent in accordance with EU regulations in baby bottles, significant levels of EDCs were found in infant formulas, signaling a need for ongoing monitoring and public health measures to protect young children.*
Article Synopsis
- * A new automated surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based method was developed to track both AAA and ADL without requiring complex sample prep, allowing for multiple analyses with a single chip.
- * In a study with 47 ADL-treated patients, both SPR and ELISA methods detected AAA, achieving a 79% overall agreement, with noted differences in quantitative results, particularly in assessing ADL levels effectively.
Article Synopsis
- - Antibodies from a specific group of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients target a unique protein, HMW1ct(Glc), from the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae, which may play a role in the disease by triggering harmful antibodies.
- - The study developed a method to isolate these antibodies from patient serum using affinity chromatography, focusing on their interaction with the hyperglucosylated form of the protein.
- - A protocol was established to purify the antibodies that recognize the glucosylated residues on HMW1ct(Glc), while reducing contamination from antibodies that bind to the non-glucosylated version of the protein.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a great concern in human population. To fight coronavirus emergence, we have dissected the conserved amino acid region of the internal fusion peptide in the S2 subunit of Spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 to design new inhibitory peptides. Among the 11 overlapping peptides (9-23-mer), PN19, a 19-mer peptide, exhibited a powerful inhibitory activity against different SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolate variants in absence of cytotoxicity.
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- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation and the damaging of myelin due to antibody activity.
- Researchers created two glucosylated peptides from human myelin proteins, which possess similar structures to a specific antigen recognized by MS patient antibodies, to study their immune response.
- The findings indicate that these peptides are recognized by antibodies in MS patients and share immunological similarities with both human and bacterial proteins, suggesting a possible link between these proteins that might contribute to the onset of MS.
Article Synopsis
- - Enzymatic digestion offers a gentler method for recycling plastic waste, but enzymes struggle to penetrate dense plastic materials, necessitating a pretreatment process.
- - This study focuses on using hydrothermal liquefaction as a thermal pretreatment for rigid polyurethane foam prior to enzymatic digestion, analyzing the material's structure and composition through advanced techniques.
- - Results indicate that combining hydrothermal liquefaction with enzymatic digestion effectively breaks down polyurethane, enabling the recovery of valuable chemicals and presenting a viable recycling solution.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on Myelin Basic Protein (MBP) and its role in Multiple Sclerosis, particularly how its α-helix structure affects antibody recognition.
- Researchers synthesized and tested two different lengths of MBP peptides, finding that elongating the peptide improves antibody recognition but destabilizes its helical structure.
- Results indicate that the original shorter peptide (MBP 81-106) is better recognized by IgM antibodies in competitive ELISA due to its stable helical form, highlighting the complexity of antibody-antigen interactions in different testing conditions.
Article Synopsis
- - The study focuses on creating tentacle-like polymers that can enhance the capture of antibodies in patient sera, specifically targeting those found in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
- - Researchers identified a specific peptide epitope from a protein associated with a bacteria (NTHi) that MS antibodies recognize and developed a multivalent dextran conjugate to increase antibody binding.
- - The new polymer effectively captured both IgG and IgM antibodies from MS patients, demonstrating potential for selectively isolating high-affinity autoantibodies, which could improve diagnostics and treatment for autoimmune conditions.
Diagnosis of Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) is based on the adult-age, anti-islet autoantibodies, and temporary insulin-independence. As in Type-1-Diabetes (T1DM), autoimmunity may trigger LADA and enteroviruses-infections can play a role. Anti-human Glutamic-Acid-Decarboxylase (hGAD) autoantibodies are accepted clinical biomarkers, but do not discriminate LADA T1DM.
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- A new peptide-based detection assay was developed to monitor anti-drug antibodies (ADAbs) in pediatric patients treated with Adalimumab for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or chronic non-infectious uveitis (CNU).
- The study identified two synthetic peptides, HC3 and LC3, which successfully detected ADAbs in a test group, with HC3 finding ADAbs in 7 patients and LC3 in 11 patients.
- Results indicated that this peptide-based assay correlates with disease progression and remission, suggesting it could help clinicians make better-informed treatment decisions for patients.
Cross-reactive peptide epitopes of Enterovirus Coxsackie B4 and human glutamic acid decarboxylase detecting antibodies in latent autoimmune diabetes in adults versus type 1 diabetes.
Feliciana Real-Fernández Alessandra Gallo Francesca Nuti Lorenzo Altamore Gloria Giovanna Del Vescovo
Clin Chim Acta
April 2021
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the diagnostic potential of antibodies against human glutamic acid decarboxylase (hGAD) peptides in diagnosing latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), focusing on their relation to Enterovirus Coxsackie B4.
- It involved testing serum samples from 27 LADA patients, 23 T1DM patients, and 24 controls using ELISA, and found significant differences in antibody responses between the patient groups and the controls.
- The results showed that IgM antibodies had high diagnostic power for LADA (sensitivity over 85%, specificity 95.8%), highlighting the importance of peptide antigens in distinguishing between T1DM and L
Article Synopsis
- - Peptides that mimic the specific parts targeted by antibodies can be useful for diagnosing and treating autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) by acting as antigen substitutes.
- - Research focused on synthesizing peptides derived from the Haemophilus influenzae adhesin, particularly those containing N-linked glucopyranosyl moieties, which were found crucial for strong antibody binding in certain MS patients.
- - The best-performing synthetic peptide, Ac-KAN (Glc)VTLN (Glc)TT-NH, exhibited effective binding to IgG antibodies, but its binding characteristics didn't rely on the sugar's placement or the peptide's structure in solution, indicating complexity in how these interactions occur.
Article Synopsis
- The diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) mainly relies on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but few simple tests are available to monitor disease activity over time.
- Researchers found that antibodies against a specific type of sugar-modified peptide (anti--Glc) can be detected in the blood of MS patients and may serve as useful biomarkers.
- They developed a new set of multiple-glucosylated peptide epitopes (known as -Glc MEPs) for a diagnostic test, utilizing a specific structure to enhance the detection of these antibodies efficiently in patients' serum.
Article Synopsis
- * Recent research has highlighted the importance of glycans, particularly glucose, in MS, but challenges remain in understanding innate antigens and creating new synthetic glucose-based structures.
- * This study proposes a new strategy using natural glycosides, specifically triterpene saponins from Blighia welwitschii, to improve the diversity of glycans tested as antigens, potentially enhancing the identification of sugar epitopes relevant to MS.
We report herein a novel ChemMatrix Rink resin functionalised with two phenylboronate (PhB) moieties linked on the -α and -ε amino functions of a lysine residue to specifically capture deoxyfructosylated peptides, compared to differently glycosylated peptides in complex mixtures. The new PhB-Lys(PhB)-ChemMatrix Rink resin allows for exploitation of the previously demonstrated ability of diols to form phenylboronic esters. The optimised capturing and cleavage procedure from the novel functionalised resin showed that only the peptides containing deoxyfructosyl-lysine moieties can be efficiently and specifically detected by HR-MS and MS/MS experiments.
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- Deiminated proteins are important biomarkers for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with a focus on anti-citrullinated peptide/protein autoantibodies (ACPA).
- Deiminated histone H4 found in neutrophil extracellular traps has been identified as a relevant diagnostic antigen for RA due to its reaction with ACPA.
- The study presents a method for mapping the ACPA binding site on histone H4 using an overlapping peptide library and details an ELISA protocol for testing RA patients' sera against these synthesized peptides.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effectiveness of three different methods for detecting anti-adalimumab antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing treatment with adalimumab.
- Out of 50 patients, the detection rates varied slightly among the methods: ELISA identified 10%, RGA 8%, and SPR 12% of patients as positive for these antibodies.
- While ELISA and RGA showed strong correlation, no significant correlation was found between RGA and SPR or between ELISA and SPR, indicating that the choice of detection method is crucial for accurately identifying anti-drug antibodies.
Article Synopsis
- Mitochondrial proteins are significant in type 1 diabetes (T1D), offering potential targets for studying antigens related to the disease.
- The study evaluated immune responses in T1D patients using synthetic peptides with specific post-translational modifications (PTMs), like lipoylation and phosphorylation.
- Findings revealed that specific PTMs in the mitochondrial peptide are important for IgM antibody recognition, suggesting potential new diagnostic markers for T1D.
Three triterpene glycosides were isolated from the roots of Weigela florida "rumba" (Bunge) A. DC.: two previously undescribed 3-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-[β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)]-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-l-arabinopyranosyloleanolic acid (1) and 3-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)]-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-arabinopyranosyloleanolic acid (2), and one isolated for the first time from a natural source 3-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-l-arabinopyranosyloleanolic acid (3).
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- Adalimumab, a TNF-α blocker antibody similar to natural human IgG1, can trigger the formation of anti-drug antibodies (AAA) in patients with inflammatory conditions, including juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
- A study conducted on JIA children revealed that 37% of the 27 participants developed AAA after starting adalimumab, with the antibodies detected between 3 and 38 months into treatment.
- The presence of AAA was linked to a higher relapse rate, as 70% of AAA-positive patients experienced relapses compared to only 23.5% of those without AAA, indicating a potential clinical significance in managing JIA.
Article Synopsis
- * A cyclic heptapeptide was developed that binds well to an anti-HNK1 mouse monoclonal antibody, demonstrating promising affinity through structure-activity relationship studies.
- * However, initial tests reveal that human sera do not specifically recognize this peptide, suggesting that mouse antibodies are not reliable for selecting probes to detect human auto-antibodies.
Article Synopsis
- Autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis (MS), may be triggered by specific non-self antigens from infections, potentially leading to immune system dysfunction.
- Research indicates that exposure to certain bacteria, such as Haemophilus influenzae, could be linked to MS, as these bacteria produce antigens that resemble human cell markers.
- A unique protein from H. influenzae that undergoes hyperglucosylation was found to be recognized by antibodies in some MS patients, suggesting it might play a role in triggering autoimmune responses in the disease.