Hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry with improved electrochemical reduction enables comprehensive epitope mapping of a therapeutic antibody to the cysteine-knot containing vascular endothelial growth factor.

Hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) has become a popular method for analysis of the conformational dynamics and interactions of proteins. Disulfide-bonded proteins, however, present a challenge to HDX-MS as they require efficient disulfide bond reduction prior to enzymatic proteolysis. Electrochemical reduction (ER) provides an attractive solution to tackle disulfide-bonded proteins that are resistant to conventional chemical reduction during HDX-MS.

A Two-pronged Binding Mechanism of IgG to the Neonatal Fc Receptor Controls Complex Stability and IgG Serum Half-life.

The success of recombinant monoclonal immunoglobulins (IgG) is rooted in their ability to target distinct antigens with high affinity combined with an extraordinarily long serum half-life, typically around 3 weeks. The pharmacokinetics of IgGs is intimately linked to the recycling mechanism of the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). For long serum half-life of therapeutic IgGs, the highly pH-dependent interaction with FcRn needs to be balanced to allow efficient FcRn binding and release at slightly acidic pH and physiological pH, respectively.

Molecular polygamy: The promiscuity of l-phenylalanyl-tRNA-synthetase triggers misincorporation of meta- and ortho-tyrosine in monoclonal antibodies expressed by Chinese hamster ovary cells.

In-depth analytical characterization of biotherapeutics originating from different production batches is mandatory to ensure product safety and consistent molecule efficacy. Previously, we have shown unintended incorporation of tyrosine (Tyr) and leucine/isoleucine (Leu/Ile) at phenylalanine (Phe) positions in a recombinant produced monoclonal antibody (mAb) using an orthogonal MASCOT/SIEVE based approach for mass spectrometry data analysis. The misincorporation could be avoided by sufficient supply of phenylalanine throughout the process.

Investigating the interaction between the neonatal Fc receptor and monoclonal antibody variants by hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry.

The recycling of immunoglobulins by the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is of crucial importance in the maintenance of antibody levels in plasma and is responsible for the long half-lives of endogenous and recombinant monoclonal antibodies. From a therapeutic point of view there is great interest in understanding and modulating the IgG-FcRn interaction to optimize antibody pharmacokinetics and ultimately improve efficacy and safety. Here we studied the interaction between a full-length human IgG(1) and human FcRn via hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and targeted electron transfer dissociation to map sites perturbed by binding on both partners of the IgG-FcRn complex.

Structure-based prediction of asparagine and aspartate degradation sites in antibody variable regions.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and proteins containing antibody domains are the most prevalent class of biotherapeutics in diverse indication areas. Today, established techniques such as immunization or phage display allow for an efficient generation of new mAbs. Besides functional properties, the stability of future therapeutic mAbs is a key selection criterion which is essential for the development of a drug candidate into a marketed product.

Protein correlation profiles identify lipid droplet proteins with high confidence.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are important organelles in energy metabolism and lipid storage. Their cores are composed of neutral lipids that form a hydrophobic phase and are surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer that harbors specific proteins. Most well-established LD proteins perform important functions, particularly in cellular lipid metabolism.

Triple SILAC to determine stimulus specific interactions in the Wnt pathway.

Many important regulatory functions are performed by dynamic multiprotein complexes that adapt their composition and activity in response to different stimuli. Here we employ quantitative affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry to efficiently separate background from specific interactors but add an additional quantitative dimension to explicitly characterize stimulus-dependent interactions. This is accomplished by SILAC in a triple-labeling format, in which pull-downs with bait, with bait and stimulus, and without bait are quantified against each other.

Phosphatidylcholine synthesis for lipid droplet expansion is mediated by localized activation of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are cellular storage organelles for neutral lipids that vary in size and abundance according to cellular needs. Physiological conditions that promote lipid storage rapidly and markedly increase LD volume and surface. How the need for surface phospholipids is sensed and balanced during this process is unknown.

Systems-wide analysis of a phosphatase knock-down by quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics.

Signal transduction in metazoans regulates almost all aspects of biological function, and aberrant signaling is involved in many diseases. Perturbations in phosphorylation-based signaling networks are typically studied in a hypothesis-driven approach, using phospho-specific antibodies. Here we apply quantitative, high-resolution mass spectrometry to determine the systems response to the depletion of one signaling component.

A practical guide to the MaxQuant computational platform for SILAC-based quantitative proteomics.

MaxQuant is a quantitative proteomics software package designed for analyzing large mass spectrometric data sets. It is specifically aimed at high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) data. Currently, Thermo LTQ-Orbitrap and LTQ-FT-ICR instruments are supported and Mascot is used as a search engine.

Phosphorylation of SUMO-1 occurs in vivo and is conserved through evolution.

Protein dynamics is regulated by an elaborate interplay between different post-translational modifications. Ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins (Ubls) are small proteins that are covalently conjugated to target proteins with important functional consequences. One such modifier is SUMO, which mainly modifies nuclear proteins.