Monoclonal antibody stability can be usefully monitored using the excitation-energy-dependent fluorescence edge-shift.

Among the major challenges in the development of biopharmaceuticals are structural heterogeneity and aggregation. The development of a successful therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) requires both a highly active and also stable molecule. Whilst a range of experimental (biophysical) approaches exist to track changes in stability of proteins, routine prediction of stability remains challenging.

Analysis of Protein Glycation Using Phenylboronate Acrylamide Gel Electrophoresis.

Carbohydrate modification of proteins adds complexity and diversity to the proteome. However, undesired carbohydrate modifications also occur in the form of glycation, which have been implicated in diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. The analysis of glycated proteins is challenging due to their complexity and variability.

Advanced Glycation End Products Modulate Amyloidogenic APP Processing and Tau Phosphorylation: A Mechanistic Link between Glycation and the Development of Alzheimer's Disease.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are implicated in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as they induce neurodegeneration following interaction with the receptor for AGE (RAGE). This study aimed to establish a mechanistic link between AGE-RAGE signaling and AD pathology. AGE-induced changes in the neuro2a proteome were monitored by SWATH-MS.

Circulatory zinc transport is controlled by distinct interdomain sites on mammalian albumins.

Zinc is an essential nutrient in the body; it is required for the catalytic activity of many hundreds of human enzymes and virtually all biological processes, therefore its homeostasis and trafficking is of crucial interest. Serum albumin is the major carrier of Zn in the blood and is required for its systemic distribution. Here we present the first crystal structures of human serum albumin (HSA) and equine serum albumin (ESA) in complex with Zn.

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor is subjected to glucose modification and oxidation in Alzheimer's Disease.

Glucose and glucose metabolites are able to adversely modify proteins through a non-enzymatic reaction called glycation, which is associated with the pathology of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and is a characteristic of the hyperglycaemia induced by diabetes. However, the precise protein glycation profile that characterises AD is poorly defined and the molecular link between hyperglycaemia and AD is unknown. In this study, we define an early glycation profile of human brain using fluorescent phenylboronate gel electrophoresis and identify early glycation and oxidation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in AD brain.

Crystal structure of histidine-rich glycoprotein N2 domain reveals redox activity at an interdomain disulfide bridge: implications for angiogenic regulation.

Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) is a plasma protein consisting of 6 distinct functional domains and is an important regulator of key cardiovascular processes, including angiogenesis and coagulation. The protein is composed of 2 N-terminal domains (N1 and N2), 2 proline-rich regions (PRR1 and PRR2) that flank a histidine-rich region (HRR), and a C-terminal domain. To date, structural information of HRG has largely come from sequence analysis and spectroscopic studies.

Allosteric modulation of zinc speciation by fatty acids.

Background: Serum albumin is the major protein component of blood plasma and is responsible for the circulatory transport of a range of small molecules that include fatty acids, hormones, metal ions and drugs. Studies examining the ligand-binding properties of albumin make up a large proportion of the literature. However, many of these studies do not address the fact that albumin carries multiple ligands (including metal ions) simultaneously in vivo.