Browsing by Author "Carbonell, Ruben G"

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    Binding site on human immunoglobulin G for the affinity ligand HWRGWV.
    (Journal of molecular recognition : JMR, 2010-05) Yang, Haiou; Gurgel, Patrick V; Williams, D Keith; Bobay, Benjamin G; Cavanagh, John; Muddiman, David C; Carbonell, Ruben G
    Affinity ligand HWRGWV has demonstrated the ability to isolate human immunoglobulin G (hIgG) from mammalian cell culture media. The ligand specifically binds hIgG through its Fc portion. This work shows that deglycosylation of hIgG has no influence on its binding to the HWRGWV ligand and the ligand does not compete with Protein A or Protein G in binding hIgG. It is suggested by the mass spectrometry (MS) data and docking simulation that HWRGWV binds to the pFc portion of hIgG and interacts with the amino acids in the loop Ser383-Asn389 (SNGQPEN) located in the C(H)3 domain. Subsequent modeling has suggested a possible three-dimensional minimized solution structure for the interaction of hIgG and the HWRGWV ligand. The results support the fact that a peptide as small as a hexamer can have specific interactions with large proteins such as hIgG.
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    Design of protease-resistant peptide ligands for the purification of antibodies from human plasma.
    (Journal of chromatography. A, 2016-05) Menegatti, Stefano; Bobay, Benjamin G; Ward, Kevin L; Islam, Tuhidul; Kish, William S; Naik, Amith D; Carbonell, Ruben G
    A strategy is presented for developing variants of peptide ligands with enhanced biochemical stability for the purification of antibodies from animal sera. Antibody-binding sequences HWRGWV, HYFKFD, and HFRRHL, previously discovered by our group, were modified with non-natural amino acids to gain resistance to proteolysis, while maintaining target affinity and selectivity. As trypsin and α-chymotrypsin were chosen as models of natural proteolytic enzymes, the basic (arginine and lysine) and aromatic (tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine) amino acids were replaced with non-natural analogs. Using the docking software HADDOCK, a virtual library of peptide variants was designed and screened in-silico against the known HWRGWV binding site on the pFc fragment of IgG. A pool of selected sequences with the highest predicted free energy of binding was synthesized on chromatographic resin, and the resulting adsorbents were tested for IgG binding and resistance to proteases. The ligand variants exhibited binding capacities and specificities comparable to the original sequences, yet with much higher proteolytic resistances. The sequences HWMetCitGWMetV and HFMetCitCitHL was used for purifying polyclonal IgG from IgG-rich fractions of human plasma, with yields and purity above 90%. Notably, due to electrical neutrality, the variant showed higher selectivity than the original sequence. Binding isotherms were also constructed, which confirmed the docking predictions. This method represents a general strategy for enhancing the biochemical stability as well as the affinity and selectivity of natural or synthetic peptide ligands for bioseparations.
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    Design, selection, and development of cyclic peptide ligands for human erythropoietin.
    (Journal of chromatography. A, 2017-06) Kish, William S; Sachi, Hiroyuki; Naik, Amith D; Roach, Matthew K; Bobay, Benjamin G; Blackburn, Robert K; Menegatti, Stefano; Carbonell, Ruben G
    This work presents the selection and characterization of erythropoietin (EPO)-binding cyclic peptide ligands. The sequences were selected by screening a focused library of cyclic depsipeptides cyclo[(Nα-Ac)Dap(A)-X1-X6-AE], whose structure and amino acid compositions were tailored to mimic the EPO receptor. The sequences identified through library screening were synthesized on chromatographic resin and characterized via binding-and-elution studies against EPO to select a pool of candidate ligands. Sequences with higher hydrophobicity consistently showed stronger binding to EPO, with the exception of FSLLSH, which was noted for its lower hydrophobicity and high EPO binding. Mutagenesis studies performed on FSLLSH with natural and non-natural amino acid substitutions led to the identification of critical EPO-binding determinants, and the discovery of new peptide ligands. In particular, histidine-scanning mutagenesis performed on three lead sequences yielded the discovery of variants whose EPO-binding is more pH-sensitive, which facilitates EPO recovery. Selected ligands were studied to correlate the elution yield to the salinity of the binding buffer and the elution pH. Elution yields were consistently higher when EPO binding was performed at low ionic strength. The crystal structures of lead cyclic peptides were docked in silico against EPO to estimate the binding affinity in solution. Isotherm adsorption studies performed on FSLLSH indicated that the cyclic version of the ligand (KD=0.46μM) has a higher affinity for EPO than its corresponding linear variant (KD=1.44μM). Collectively, these studies set the stage for use of the cyclic peptide ligands as EPO purification and detection tools.