Several antibody fragment engineering techniques aim at intrinsic stability enhancement, but are not applied in a truly generic way. Here, a strategy is proposed whereby consistent gain in stability is accomplished by introducing a specific disulfide bond between two opposite beta-strands in the hydrophobic core of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable domain of heavy-chain antibodies (Nanobody). Besides the rational design of a disulfide bond between residues 39 and 87, a Nanobody harboring an extra naturally occurring cystine between residues 54 and 78 was compared to an equivalent Nanobody without that cystine. Both novel disulfide cross-links were introduced in several Nanobodies in various combinations. Interestingly, only the extra naturally occurring cystine consistently increased the conformational and thermal stabilities of wild-type Nanobodies without affecting antigen binding.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2008.01.022 | DOI Listing |
Mater Horiz
January 2025
School of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Patterning soft materials with cell adhesion motifs can be used to emulate the structures found in natural tissues. While patterning in tissue is driven by cellular assembly, patterning soft materials in the laboratory most often involves light-mediated chemical reactions to spatially control the presentation of cell binding sites. Here we present hydrogels that are formed with two responsive crosslinkers-an anthracene-maleimide adduct and a disulfide linkage-thereby allowing simultaneous or sequential patterning using force and UV light.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemistry
January 2025
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram, Chemistry, Trivandrum, Trivandrum, Trivandrum, 695551, Trivandrum, INDIA.
Recent years have witnessed the rapid growth of combination therapy for the treatment of cancer. Chemo and antisense DNA therapies are two clinically proven and efficient treatment modalities for cancer. However, direct delivery of both chemo and antisense oligonucleotides into the cancerous cells is challenging and hence there is a high demand for the development of new strategies that permit the direct delivery of chemo and antisense therapeutic agents in a targeted fashion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2025
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, CALS, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
The formation of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) filaments has been implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although the disulfide bond formed between Cys57 and Cys146 in the active state has been well studied, the role of the reduced cysteine residues, Cys6 and Cys111, in SOD1 filament formation remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of reduced cysteine residues by determining and comparing cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of wild-type (WT) and C6A/C111A SOD1 filaments under thiol-based reducing and metal-depriving conditions, starting with protein samples possessing enzymatic activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMater Today Bio
February 2025
Department of Neurosurgery, Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is an emerging antitumor strategy utilizing iron-initiated Fenton reaction to destroy tumor cells by converting endogenous HO into highly toxic hydroxyl radical (OH). However, the intratumoral overexpressed glutathione (GSH) and deficient acid greatly reduce CDT efficacy because of OH scavenging and decreased OH production efficiency. Even worse, the various physiological barriers, especially in glioma, further put the brakes on the targeted delivery of Fenton agents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Methods
January 2025
College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, P.R. China.
Platelet factor 4 (PF4), a specific protein primarily found in megakaryocytes and platelet α-granules, plays an essential role in the coagulation process. It carries a high positive charge and thus has a unique ability to readily form complexes with negatively charged heparin. This interaction between PF4 and heparin plays a crucial role in platelet aggregation and thrombosis, resulting in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).
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