Oxidative conversion of transthyretin in formalin-fixed clinical amyloid samples results in the formation of the His90Asp and His90Asn variants.

Background: Proteomics is routinely used to type clinical amyloid deposits, and offers additional benefit of identifying genetic variants, which can be diagnostically useful. Reviewing the proteomics data for ATTR patients attending our Centre revealed an unusually large number of samples containing a rare pathogenic H90D TTR variant alongside the more common H90N variant.

Methods: These findings raised questions to their source.

Contactin-1 links autoimmune neuropathy and membranous glomerulonephritis.

Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults, mediated by glomerular antibody deposition to an increasing number of newly recognised antigens. Previous case reports have suggested an association between patients with anti-contactin-1 (CNTN1)-mediated neuropathies and MGN. In an observational study we investigated the pathobiology and extent of this potential cause of MGN by examining the association of antibodies against CNTN1 with the clinical features of a cohort of 468 patients with suspected immune-mediated neuropathies, 295 with idiopathic MGN, and 256 controls.

Plasmin activity promotes amyloid deposition in a transgenic model of human transthyretin amyloidosis.

Cardiac ATTR amyloidosis, a serious but much under-diagnosed form of cardiomyopathy, is caused by deposition of amyloid fibrils derived from the plasma protein transthyretin (TTR), but its pathogenesis is poorly understood and informative in vivo models have proved elusive. Here we report the generation of a mouse model of cardiac ATTR amyloidosis with transgenic expression of human TTR. The model is characterised by substantial ATTR amyloid deposits in the heart and tongue.

C. elegans feed yolk to their young in a form of primitive lactation.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits rapid senescence that is promoted by the insulin/IGF-1 signalling (IIS) pathway via regulated processes that are poorly understood. IIS also promotes production of yolk for egg provisioning, which in post-reproductive animals continues in an apparently futile fashion, supported by destructive repurposing of intestinal biomass that contributes to senescence. Here we show that post-reproductive mothers vent yolk which can be consumed by larvae and promotes their growth.

Clinical ApoA-IV amyloid is associated with fibrillogenic signal sequence.

Apolipoprotein A-IV amyloidosis is an uncommon form of the disease normally resulting in renal and cardiac dysfunction. ApoA-IV amyloidosis was identified in 16 patients attending the National Amyloidosis Centre and in eight clinical samples received for histology review. Unexpectedly, proteomics identified the presence of ApoA-IV signal sequence residues (p.

Clinical Amyloid Typing by Proteomics: Performance Evaluation and Data Sharing Between Two Centres.

Amyloidosis is a relatively rare human disease caused by the deposition of abnormal protein fibres in the extracellular space of various tissues, impairing their normal function. Proteomic analysis of patients' biopsies, developed by Dogan and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic, has become crucial for clinical diagnosis and for identifying the amyloid type. Currently, the proteomic approach is routinely used at National Amyloidosis Centre (NAC, London, UK) and Istituto di Tecnologie Biomediche-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (ITB-CNR, Milan, Italy).

Diagnostic amyloid proteomics: experience of the UK National Amyloidosis Centre.

Systemic amyloidosis is a serious disease which is caused when normal circulating proteins misfold and aggregate extracellularly as insoluble fibrillary deposits throughout the body. This commonly results in cardiac, renal and neurological damage. The tissue target, progression and outcome of the disease depends on the type of protein forming the fibril deposit, and its correct identification is central to determining therapy.

Proteomic Analysis for the Diagnosis of Fibrinogen Aα-chain Amyloidosis.

Introduction: Hereditary fibrinogen Aα-chain (AFib) amyloidosis is a relatively uncommon renal disease associated with a small number of pathogenic fibrinogen Aα (FibA) variants; wild-type FibA normally does not result in amyloid deposition. Proteomics is now routinely used to identify the amyloid type in clinical samples, and we report here our algorithm for identification of FibA in amyloid.

Methods: Proteomics data from 1001 Congo red-positive patient samples were examined using the Mascot search engine to interrogate the Swiss-Prot database and generate protein identity scores.

The complementary role of histology and proteomics for diagnosis and typing of systemic amyloidosis.

The tissue diagnosis of amyloidosis and confirmation of fibril protein type, which are crucial for clinical management, have traditionally relied on Congo red (CR) staining followed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using fibril protein specific antibodies. However, amyloid IHC is qualitative, non-standardised, requires operator expertise, and not infrequently fails to produce definitive results. More recently, laser dissection mass spectrometry (LDMS) has been developed as an alternative method to characterise amyloid in tissue sections.

Diagnosis, pathogenesis and outcome in leucocyte chemotactic factor 2 (ALECT2) amyloidosis.

Introduction: Renal biopsy series from North America suggest that leucocyte chemotactic factor 2 (ALECT2) amyloid is the third most common type of renal amyloid. We report the first case series from a European Centre of prevalence, clinical presentation and diagnostic findings in ALECT2 amyloidosis and report long-term patient and renal outcomes for the first time.

Methods: We studied the clinical features, diagnostic investigations and the outcome of all patients with ALECT2 amyloidosis followed systematically at the UK National Amyloidosis Centre (NAC) between 1994 and 2015.

Renal Amyloidosis Associated With 5 Novel Variants in the Fibrinogen A Alpha Chain Protein.

Introduction: Fibrinogen A alpha chain amyloidosis is an autosomal dominant disease associated with mutations in the fibrinogen A alpha chain () gene, and it is the most common cause of hereditary renal amyloidosis in the UK. Patients typically present with kidney impairment and progress to end-stage renal disease over a median time of 4.6 years.

Misidentification of transthyretin and immunoglobulin variants by proteomics due to methyl lysine formation in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded amyloid tissue.

Proteomics is becoming the de facto gold standard for identifying amyloid proteins and is now used routinely in a number of centres. The technique is compound class independent and offers the added ability to identify variant and modified proteins. We re-examined proteomics results from a number of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded amyloid samples, which were positive for transthyretin (TTR) by immunohistochemistry and proteomics, using the UniProt human protein database modified to include TTR variants.

Rapid production of human liver scaffolds for functional tissue engineering by high shear stress oscillation-decellularization.

The development of human liver scaffolds retaining their 3-dimensional structure and extra-cellular matrix (ECM) composition is essential for the advancement of liver tissue engineering. We report the design and validation of a new methodology for the rapid and accurate production of human acellular liver tissue cubes (ALTCs) using normal liver tissue unsuitable for transplantation. The application of high shear stress is a key methodological determinant accelerating the process of tissue decellularization while maintaining ECM protein composition, 3D-architecture and physico-chemical properties of the native tissue.

Increasing the accuracy of proteomic typing by decellularisation of amyloid tissue biopsies.

Unlabelled: Diagnosis and treatment of systemic amyloidosis depend on accurate identification of the specific amyloid fibril protein forming the tissue deposits. Confirmation of monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL), requiring cytotoxic chemotherapy, and avoidance of such treatment in non-AL amyloidosis, are particularly important. Proteomic analysis characterises amyloid proteins directly.

Evaluation of phosphopeptide enrichment strategies for quantitative TMT analysis of complex network dynamics in cancer-associated cell signalling.

Defining alterations in signalling pathways in normal and malignant cells is becoming a major field in proteomics. A number of different approaches have been established to isolate, identify and quantify phosphorylated proteins and peptides. In the current report, a comparison between SCX prefractionation an antibody based approach, both coupled to TiO enrichment and applied to TMT labelled cellular lysates, is described.

A novel transthyretin variant p.H110D (H90D) as a cause of familial amyloid polyneuropathy in a large Irish kindred.

Hereditary transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis is caused by inheritance of an abnormal TTR gene in an autosomal dominant fashion. In its native state, TTR is a homotetramer consisting of four identical polypeptides. Mutations in the TTR gene contribute to destabilization and dissociation of the TTR tetramer, enabling abnormally folded monomers to self-assemble as amyloid fibrils.

Specific C-terminal cleavage and inactivation of interleukin-8 by invasive disease isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes.

Lethal necrotizing fasciitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes is characterized by a paucity of neutrophils at the site of infection. Interleukin (IL)-8, which is important for neutrophil transmigration and activation, can be degraded by S. pyogenes.