Investigating the oxidative refolding mechanism of Cripto-1 CFC domain.

Using a combined approach based on MS, enzyme digestion and advanced MD studies we have determined the sequential order of formation of the three disulfide bridges of the Cripto-1 CFC domain. The domain has a rare pattern of bridges and is involved in the recognition of several receptors. The bridge formation order is C1-C4, C3-C5, C2-C6, however formation of C1-C4 plays no roles for the formation of the others.

Development of conformational antibodies targeting Cripto-1 with neutralizing effects in vitro.

Human Cripto-1 (Cripto-1), the founding member of the EGF-CFC superfamily, is a key regulator of many processes during embryonic development and oncogenesis. Cripto-1 is barely present or even absent in normal adult tissues while it is aberrantly re-expressed in various tumors. Blockade of the CFC domain-mediated Cripto-1 functions is acknowledged as a promising therapeutic intervention point to inhibit the tumorigenic activity of the protein.

Targeting VEGF receptors with non-neutralizing cyclopeptides for imaging applications.

Pharmacological strategies aimed at preventing cancer growth are in most cases paralleled by diagnostic investigations for monitoring and prognosticating therapeutic efficacy. A relevant approach in cancer is the suppression of pathological angiogenesis, which is principally driven by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or closely related factors and by activation of specific receptors, prevailingly VEGFR1 and VEGFR2, set on the surface of endothelial cells. Monitoring the presence of these receptors in vivo is henceforth a way to predict therapy outcome.

A multianalytical approach to investigate the effect of nanofiltration on plasma-derived factor IX clinical lots.

Plasma-derived proteins are a subset of relevant biotherapeutics also known as "well-characterized biologicals". They are enriched from plasma through several steps of physical and biochemical methodologies, reaching the regulatory accepted standards of safety, levels of impurities, activity and lot-to-lot consistency. Final products accepted for commercialization are submitted to tight analytical, functional and safety controls by a number of different approaches that fulfill the requirements of sensitivity and reliability.

Structural insights into the interaction of a monoclonal antibody and Nodal peptides by STD-NMR spectroscopy.

Nodal is a growth factor expressed during early embryonic development, but reactivated in several advanced-stage cancers. Targeting of Nodal signaling, which occurs via the binding to Cripto-1 co-receptor, results in inhibition of cell aggressiveness and reduced tumor growth. The Nodal binding region to Cripto-1 was identified and targeted with a high affinity monoclonal antibody (3D1).

Binding of triazole-linked galactosyl arylsulfonamides to galectin-3 affects Trypanosoma cruzi cell invasion.

The synthesis of the O-3 triazole-linked galactosyl arylsulfonamides 1-7 as potential inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi cell invasion is described. These target compounds were synthesized by Cu(I)-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction ('click chemistry') between different azide arylsulfonamides and the alkyne-based sugar 3-O-propynyl-βGalOMe. Inhibition assays of T.

Monoclonal antibodies against pools of mono- and polyacetylated peptides selectively recognize acetylated lysines within the context of the original antigen.

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) strongly influence the structure and function of proteins. Lysine side chain acetylation is one of the most widespread PTMs, and it plays a major role in several physiological and pathological mechanisms. Protein acetylation may be detected by mass spectrometry (MS), but the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is a useful and cheaper option.

Pegylated Trastuzumab Fragments Acquire an Increased in Vivo Stability but Show a Largely Reduced Affinity for the Target Antigen.

PEGylation of biomolecules is a major approach to increase blood stream half-life, stability and solubility of biotherapeutics and to reduce their immunogenicity, aggregation potential and unspecific interactions with other proteins and tissues. Antibodies have generally long half-lives due to high molecular mass and stability toward proteases, however their size lowers to some extent their potential because of a reduced ability to penetrate tissues, especially those of tumor origin. Fab or otherwise engineered smaller fragments are an alternative but are less stable and are much less well retained in circulation.

Generation and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies against a Cyclic Variant of Hepatitis C Virus E2 Epitope 412-422.

Unlabelled: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 envelope glycoprotein is crucial for virus entry into hepatocytes. A conserved region of E2 encompassing amino acids 412 to 423 (epitope I) and containing Trp420, a residue critical for virus entry, is recognized by several broadly neutralizing antibodies. Peptides embodying this epitope I sequence adopt a β-hairpin conformation when bound to neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) AP33 and HCV1.

New Anti-Nodal Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting the Nodal Pre-Helix Loop Involved in Cripto-1 Binding.

Nodal is a potent embryonic morphogen belonging to the TGF-β superfamily. Typically, it also binds to the ALK4/ActRIIB receptor complex in the presence of the co-receptor Cripto-1. Nodal expression is physiologically restricted to embryonic tissues and human embryonic stem cells, is absent in normal cells but re-emerges in several human cancers, including melanoma, breast, and colon cancer.

Conformational features and binding affinities to Cripto, ALK7 and ALK4 of Nodal synthetic fragments.

Nodal, a member of the TGF-β superfamily, is a potent embryonic morphogen also implicated in tumor progression. As for other TGF-βs, it triggers the signaling functions through the interaction with the extracellular domains of type I and type II serine/threonine kinase receptors and with the co-receptor Cripto. Recently, we reported the molecular models of Nodal in complex with its type I receptors (ALK4 and ALK7) as well as with Cripto, as obtained by homology modeling and docking simulations.

A comparative structural and bioanalytical study of IVIG clinical lots.

Intravenous immunoglobulin are important bio-therapeutics used in the replacement therapy for primary and secondary immunodeficiencies, chronic inflammatory disorders and several autoimmune haematologic disorders. Currently, a number of immunoglobulin intravenous (IVIG) products have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are available commercially. It is known that small differences in the manufacturing processes as well as in the formulations may affect their clinical efficacy and tolerability.