Comparative characterization of the glycosylation profiles of an influenza hemagglutinin produced in plant and insect hosts

Dual N-linked glycosylation at residues 133 and 158 in the hemagglutinin are essential for the efficacy of H7N9 avian influenza virus like particle vaccine in chickens and mice

H7N9 subtype avian influenza virus (AIV) poses a great challenge to poultry industry. Virus-like particle (VLP) is a prospective alternative for the traditional egg-based influenza vaccines. N-linked glycosylation (NLG) regulates the efficacy of influenza vaccines, whereas the impact of NLG modifications on the efficacy of influenza VLP vaccines remains unclear. Here, H7N9 VLPs were assembled in insect cells through co-infection with the baculoviruses expressing the NLG-modified hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase and matrix proteins, and the VLP vaccines were assessed in chickens and mice. NLG modifications significantly enhanced hemagglutination-inhibition and virus neutralization antibody responses in mice, rather than in chickens, because different immunization strategies were used in these animal models. The presence of dual NLG at residues 133 and 158 significantly elevated HA-binding IgG titers in chickens and mice. The VLP vaccines conferred complete protection and significantly suppressed virus replication and lung pathology post challenge with H7N9 viruses in chickens and mice. VLP immunization activated T cell immunity-related cytokine response and inhibited inflammatory cytokine response in mouse lung. Of note, the presence of dual NLG at residues 133 and 158 optimized the capacity of the VLP vaccine to stimulate interleukin-4 expression, inhibit virus shedding or alleviate lung pathology in chickens or mice. Intriguingly, the VLP vaccine with NLG addition at residue 133 provided partial cross-protection against the H5Nx subtype AIVs in chickens and mice. In conclusion, dual NLG at residues 133 and 158 in HA can be potentially used to enhance the efficacy of H7N9 VLP vaccines in chickens and mammals.

PD-1 directed immunotherapy alters Tfh and humoral immune responses to seasonal influenza vaccine

Anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy reinvigorates CD8 T cell responses in patients with cancer but PD-1 is also expressed by other immune cells, including follicular helper CD4 T cells (Tfh) which are involved in germinal centre responses. Little is known, however, about the effects of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy on noncancer immune responses in humans. To investigate this question, we examined the impact of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy on the Tfh-B cell axis responding to unrelated viral antigens. Following influenza vaccination, a subset of adults receiving anti-PD-1 had more robust circulating Tfh responses than adults not receiving immunotherapy. PD-1 pathway blockade resulted in transcriptional signatures of increased cellular proliferation in circulating Tfh and responding B cells compared with controls. These latter observations suggest an underlying change in the Tfh-B cell and germinal centre axis in a subset of immunotherapy patients. Together, these results demonstrate dynamic effects of anti-PD-1 therapy on influenza vaccine responses and highlight analytical vaccination as an approach that may reveal underlying immune predisposition to adverse events.

Comparison of N-linked glycosylation on hemagglutinins derived from chicken embryos and MDCK cells: a case of the production of a trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine

Abstract

N-linked glycosylation plays critical roles in folding, receptor binding, and immunomodulating of hemagglutinin (HA), the main antigen in influenza vaccines. Chicken embryos are the predominant production host for influenza vaccines, but Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells have emerged as an important alternative host. In this study, we compared glycosylation patterns, including the occupancy of potential glycosylation sites and the distribution of different glycans, on the HAs of three strains of influenza viruses for the production a trivalent seasonal flu vaccine for the 2015-2016 Northern Hemisphere season (i.e., A/California/7/2009 (H1N1) X179A, A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 (H3N2) NIB-88, and B/Brisbane/60/2008 NYMC BX-35###). Of the 8, 12, and 11 potential glycosylation sites on the HAs of H1N1, H3N2, and B strains, respectively, most were highly occupied. For the H3N2 and B strains, MDCK-derived HAs contained more sites being partially occupied (<95%) than embryo-derived HAs. A highly sensitive glycan assay was developed where 50 different glycans were identified, which was more than what has been reported previously, and their relative abundance was quantified. In general, MDCK-derived HAs contain more glycans of higher molecular weight. High-mannose species account for the most abundant group of glycans, but at a lower level as compared to those reported in previous studies, presumably due to that lower abundance, complex structure glycans were accounted for in this study. The different glycosylation patterns between MDCK- and chicken embryo-derived HAs may help elucidate the role of glycosylation on the function of influenza vaccines.

Key points

• For the H3N2 and B strains, MDCK-derived HAs contained more partially (<95%) occupied glycosylation sites.

• MDCK-derived HAs contained more glycans of higher molecular weight.

• A systematic comparison of glycosylation on HAs used for trivalent seasonal flu vaccines was conducted.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-021-11247-5.

Multiscale Simulations Examining Glycan Shield Effects on Drug Binding to Influenza Neuraminidase

Influenza neuraminidase is an important drug target. Glycans are present on neuraminidase and are generally considered to inhibit antibody binding via their glycan shield. In this work, we studied the effect of glycans on the binding kinetics of antiviral drugs to the influenza neuraminidase. We created all-atom in silico systems of influenza neuraminidase with experimentally derived glycoprofiles consisting of four systems with different glycan conformations and one system without glycans. Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we observe a two- to eightfold decrease in the rate of ligand binding to the primary binding site of neuraminidase due to the presence of glycans. These glycans are capable of covering much of the surface area of neuraminidase, and the ligand binding inhibition is derived from glycans sterically occluding the primary binding site on a neighboring monomer. Our work also indicates that drugs preferentially bind to the primary binding site (i.e., the active site) over the secondary binding site, and we propose a binding mechanism illustrating this. These results help illuminate the complex interplay between glycans and ligand binding on the influenza membrane protein neuraminidase.

Immunization with Plant-Derived Multimeric H5 Hemagglutinins Protect Chicken against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus H5N1

Since 2003, H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) have not only caused outbreaks in poultry but were also transmitted to humans with high mortality rates. Vaccination is an efficient and economical means of increasing immunity against infections to decrease the shedding of infectious agents in immunized animals and to reduce the probability of further infections. Subunit vaccines from plants are the focus of modern vaccine developments. In this study, plant-made hemagglutinin (H5) trimers were purified from transiently transformed N. benthamiana plants. All chickens immunized with purified H5 trimers were fully protected against the severe HPAIV H5N1 challenge. We further developed a proof-of-principle approach by using disulfide bonds, homoantiparallel peptides or homodimer proteins to combine H5 trimers leading to production of H5 oligomers. Mice vaccinated with crude leaf extracts containing H5 oligomers induced neutralizing antibodies better than those induced by crude leaf extracts containing trimers. As a major result, eleven out of twelve chickens (92%) immunized with adjuvanted H5 oligomer crude extracts were protected from lethal disease while nine out of twelve chickens (75%) vaccinated with adjuvanted H5 trimer crude extracts survived. The solid protective immune response achieved by immunization with crude extracts and the stability of the oligomers form the basis for the development of inexpensive protective veterinary vaccines.

Glycomics and glycoproteomics of viruses: Mass spectrometry applications and insights toward structure-function relationships

The advancement of viral glycomics has paralleled that of the mass spectrometry glycomics toolbox. In some regard the glycoproteins studied have provided the impetus for this advancement. Viral proteins are often highly glycosylated, especially those targeted by the host immune system. Glycosylation tends to be dynamic over time as viruses propagate in host populations leading to increased number of and/or "movement" of glycosylation sites in response to the immune system and other pressures. This relationship can lead to highly glycosylated, difficult to analyze glycoproteins that challenge the capabilities of modern mass spectrometry. In this review, we briefly discuss five general areas where glycosylation is important in the viral niche and how mass spectrometry has been used to reveal key information regarding structure-function relationships between viral glycoproteins and host cells. We describe the recent past and current glycomics toolbox used in these analyses and give examples of how the requirement to analyze these complex glycoproteins has provided the incentive for some advances seen in glycomics mass spectrometry. A general overview of viral glycomics, special cases, mass spectrometry methods and work-flows, informatics and complementary chemical techniques currently used are discussed. © 2020 The Authors. Mass Spectrometry Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Mass Spec Rev.

Spontaneous Glycan Reattachment Following N-Glycanase Treatment of Influenza and HIV Vaccine Antigens

In cells, asparagine/N-linked glycans are added to glycoproteins cotranslationally, in an attachment process that supports proper folding of the nascent polypeptide. We found that following pruning of N-glycan by the amidase PNGase F, the principal influenza vaccine antigen and major viral spike protein hemagglutinin (HA) spontaneously reattached N-glycan to its de-N-glycosylated positions when the amidase was removed from solution. This reaction, which we term N-glycanation, was confirmed by site-specific analysis of HA glycoforms by mass spectrometry prior to PNGase F exposure, during exposure to PNGase F, and after amidase removal. Iterative rounds of de-N-glycosylation followed by N-glycanation could be repeated at least three times and were observed for other viral glycoproteins/vaccine antigens, including the envelope glycoprotein (Env) from HIV. Covalent N-glycan reattachment was nonenzymatic as it occurred in the presence of metal ions that inhibit PNGase F activity. Rather, N-glycanation relied on a noncovalent assembly between protein and glycan, formed in the presence of the amidase, where linearization of the glycoprotein prevented this retention and subsequent N-glycanation. This reaction suggests that under certain experimental conditions, some glycoproteins can organize self-glycan addition, highlighting a remarkable self-assembly principle that may prove useful for re-engineering therapeutic glycoproteins such as influenza HA or HIV Env, where glycan sequence and structure can markedly affect bioactivity and vaccine efficacy.

Why Glycosylation Matters in Building a Better Flu Vaccine

Low vaccine efficacy against seasonal influenza A virus (IAV) stems from the ability of the virus to evade existing immunity while maintaining fitness. Although most potent neutralizing antibodies bind antigenic sites on the globular head domain of the IAV envelope glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA), the error-prone IAV polymerase enables rapid evolution of key antigenic sites, resulting in immune escape. Significantly, the appearance of new N-glycosylation consensus sequences (sequons, NXT/NXS, rarely NXC) on the HA globular domain occurs among the more prevalent mutations as an IAV strain undergoes antigenic drift. The appearance of new glycosylation shields underlying amino acid residues from antibody contact, tunes receptor specificity, and balances receptor avidity with virion escape, all of which help maintain viral propagation through seasonal mutations. The World Health Organization selects seasonal vaccine strains based on information from surveillance, laboratory, and clinical observations. Although the genetic sequences are known, mature glycosylated structures of circulating strains are not defined. In this review, we summarize mass spectrometric methods for quantifying site-specific glycosylation in IAV strains and compare the evolution of IAV glycosylation to that of human immunodeficiency virus. We argue that the determination of site-specific glycosylation of IAV glycoproteins would enable development of vaccines that take advantage of glycosylation-dependent mechanisms whereby virus glycoproteins are processed by antigen presenting cells.

Exploitation of glycosylation in enveloped virus pathobiology

Glycosylation is a ubiquitous post-translational modification responsible for a multitude of crucial biological roles. As obligate parasites, viruses exploit host-cell machinery to glycosylate their own proteins during replication. Viral envelope proteins from a variety of human pathogens including HIV-1, influenza virus, Lassa virus, SARS, Zika virus, dengue virus, and Ebola virus have evolved to be extensively glycosylated. These host-cell derived glycans facilitate diverse structural and functional roles during the viral life-cycle, ranging from immune evasion by glycan shielding to enhancement of immune cell infection. In this review, we highlight the imperative and auxiliary roles glycans play, and how specific oligosaccharide structures facilitate these functions during viral pathogenesis. We discuss the growing efforts to exploit viral glycobiology in the development of anti-viral vaccines and therapies.

In vitro-Formulated Oligomers of Strep-Tagged Avian Influenza Haemagglutinin Produced in Plants Cause Neutralizing Immune Responses

The worldwide emergence of the novel influenza A H5N1 and H5N8 has notably and directly impacted the poultry industry, resulting in the need for effective and cheap vaccination strategies to protect poultry worldwide. Subunit vaccines from plants can be produced for a low cost, and plant production systems are easily scaled up at low infrastructure cost. However, subunit vaccines generally induce low immunogenicity against influenza. To address this issue, we present a new and innovative method to generate highly immunogenic H5 oligomers. The method is based on specific and high-affinity interaction between engineered streptavidin (Strep-Tactin® XT) and the Strep-tag II peptide. H5-Strep-tag II-tagged trimers were produced via transient agroinfection in tobacco leaves and purified, and oligomers were formulated in vitro by adding purified homotetrameric Strep-Tactin® XT. Immunogenicity was tested by performing mouse immunizations. Haemagglutinin oligomers produced in vitro by combining Strep-Tactin® XT and Strep-tag II-fused haemagglutinin trimers from plants raised potentially neutralizing antibodies in mice. Vaccines based on actual H5N1 haemagglutinin can be produced by combining strep-tagged haemagglutinin trimers from plants and Strep-Tactin® XT.

The Secretome and N-Glycosylation Profiles of the Charophycean Green Alga, Penium margaritaceum, Resemble Those of Embryophytes

The secretome can be defined as the population of proteins that are secreted into the extracellular environment. Many proteins that are secreted by eukaryotes are N-glycosylated. However, there are striking differences in the diversity and conservation of N-glycosylation patterns between taxa. For example, the secretome and N-glycosylation structures differ between land plants and chlorophyte green algae, but it is not clear when this divergence took place during plant evolution. A potentially valuable system to study this issue is provided by the charophycean green algae (CGA), which is the immediate ancestors of land plants. In this study, we used lectin affinity chromatography (LAC) coupled with mass spectrometry to characterize the secretome including secreted N-glycoproteins of Penium margaritaceum, which is a member of the CGA. The identified secreted proteins and N-glycans were compared to those known from the chlorophyte green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the model land plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, to establish their evolutionary context. Our approach allowed the identification of cell wall proteins and proteins modified with N-glycans that are identical to those of embryophytes, which suggests that the P. margaritaceum secretome is more closely related to those of land plants than to those of chlorophytes. The results of this study support the hypothesis that many of the proteins associated with plant cell wall modification as well as other extracellular processes evolved prior to the colonization of terrestrial habitats.

Parallel comparative proteomics and phosphoproteomics reveal that cattle myostatin regulates phosphorylation of key enzymes in glycogen metabolism and glycolysis pathway

MSTN-encoded myostatin is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development. Here, we utilized the gluteus tissues from MSTN gene editing and wild type Luxi beef cattle which are native breed of cattle in China, performed tandem mass tag (TMT) -based comparative proteomics and phosphoproteomics analyses to investigate the regulatory mechanism of MSTN related to cellular metabolism and signaling pathway in muscle development. Out of 1,315 proteins, 69 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were found in global proteomics analysis. Meanwhile, 149 differentially changed phosphopeptides corresponding to 76 unique phosphorylated proteins (DEPPs) were detected from 2,600 identified phosphopeptides in 702 phosphorylated proteins. Bioinformatics analyses suggested that majority of DEPs and DEPPs were closely related to glycolysis, glycogenolysis, and muscle contractile fibre processes. The global discovery results were validated by Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM)-based targeted peptide quantitation analysis, western blotting, and muscle glycogen content measurement. Our data revealed that increase in abundance of key enzymes and phosphorylation on their regulatory sites appears responsible for the enhanced glycogenolysis and glycolysis in MSTN-/- . The elevated glycogenolysis was assocaited with an enhanced phosphorylation of Ser1018 in PHKA1, and Ser641/Ser645 in GYS1, which were regulated by upstream phosphorylated AKT-GSK3β pathway and highly consistent with the lower glycogen content in gluteus of MSTN-/- . Collectively, this study provides new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of MSTN involved in energy metabolism and muscle growth.

A cell-free platform for rapid synthesis and testing of active oligosaccharyltransferases

Protein glycosylation, or the attachment of sugar moieties (glycans) to proteins, is important for protein stability, activity, and immunogenicity. However, understanding the roles and regulations of site-specific glycosylation events remains a significant challenge due to several technological limitations. These limitations include a lack of available tools for biochemical characterization of enzymes involved in glycosylation. A particular challenge is the synthesis of oligosaccharyltransferases (OSTs), which catalyze the attachment of glycans to specific amino acid residues in target proteins. The difficulty arises from the fact that canonical OSTs are large (>70 kDa) and possess multiple transmembrane helices, making them difficult to overexpress in living cells. Here, we address this challenge by establishing a bacterial cell-free protein synthesis platform that enables rapid production of a variety of OSTs in their active conformations. Specifically, by using lipid nanodiscs as cellular membrane mimics, we obtained yields of up to 420 μg/ml for the single-subunit OST enzyme, "Protein glycosylation B" (PglB) from Campylobacter jejuni, as well as for three additional PglB homologs from Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter lari, and Desulfovibrio gigas. Importantly, all of these enzymes catalyzed N-glycosylation reactions in vitro with no purification or processing needed. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of cell-free synthesized OSTs to glycosylate multiple target proteins with varying N-glycosylation acceptor sequons. We anticipate that this broadly applicable production method will advance glycoengineering efforts by enabling preparative expression of membrane-embedded OSTs from all kingdoms of life.

Dynamic N-glycoproteome analysis of maize seedling leaves during de-etiolation using Concanavalin A lectin affinity chromatography and a nano-LC-MS/MS-based iTRAQ approach

The identification of N -glycosylated proteins with information about changes in the level of N -glycosylation during de-etiolation provides a database that will aid further research on plant N -glycosylation and de-etiolation. N-glycosylation is one of the most prominent and abundant protein post-translational modifications in all eukaryotes and in plants it plays important roles in development, stress tolerance and immune responses. Because light-induced de-etiolation is one of the most dramatic developmental processes known in plants, seedlings undergoing de-etiolation are an excellent model for investigating dynamic proteomic profiles. Here, we present a comprehensive, quantitative N-glycoproteomic profile of maize seedlings undergoing 12 h of de-etiolation obtained using Concanavalin A (Con A) lectin affinity chromatography enrichment coupled with a nano-LC-MS/MS-based iTRAQ approach. In total, 1084 unique N-glycopeptides carrying 909 N-glycosylation sites and corresponding to 609 proteins were identified and quantified, including 186 N-glycosylation sites from 162 proteins that were significantly regulated over the course of the 12 h de-etiolation period. Based on hierarchical clustering analysis, the significantly regulated N-glycopeptides were divided into seven clusters that showed different N-glycosylation patterns during de-etiolation. We found no obvious difference in the enriched MapMan bincode categories for each cluster, and these clustered significantly regulated N-glycoproteins (SRNPs) are enriched in miscellaneous, protein, cell wall and signaling, indicating that although the N-glycosylation regulation patterns of these SRNPs might differ, they are involved in similar biological processes. Overall, this study represents the first large-scale quantitative N-glycoproteome of the model C4 plant, maize, which is one of the most important cereal and biofuel crops. Our results greatly expand the maize N-glycoproteomic database and also shed light on the potential roles of N-glycosylation modification during the greening of maize leaves.

Site-specific glycosylation profile of influenza A (H1N1) hemagglutinin through tandem mass spectrometry

The study of influenza virus evolution in humans has revealed a significant role of glycosylation profile alterations in the viral glycoproteins - hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), in the emergence of both seasonal and pandemic strains. Viral antigenic drift can modify the number and location of glycosylation sites, altering a wide range of biological activities and the antigenic properties of the strain. In view of the key role of glycans in determining antigenicity, elucidating the glycosylation profiles of influenza strains is a requirement towards the development of improved vaccines. Sequence-based analysis of viral RNA has provided great insight into the role of glycosite modifications in altering virulence and pathogenicity. Nonetheless, this sequence-based approach can only predict potential glycosylation sites. Due to experimental challenges, experimental confirmation of the occupation of predicted glycosylation sites has only been carried out for a few strains. Herein, we utilized HCD/CID-MS/MS tandem mass spectrometry to characterize the site-specific profile of HA of an egg-grown H1N1 reference strain (A/New Caledonia/20/1999). We confirmed experimentally the occupancy of glycosylation sites identified by primary sequence analysis and determined the heterogeneity of glycan structures. Four glycosylation sequons on the stalk region (N28, N40, N304 and N498) and four on the globular head (N71, N104, N142 and N177) of the protein are occupied. Our results revealed a broad glycan microheterogeneity, i.e., a great diversity of glycan compositions present on each glycosite. The present methodology can be applied to characterize other viruses, particularly different influenza strains, to better understand the impact of glycosylation on biological activities and aid the improvement of influenza vaccines.

IgG antibodies to dengue enhanced for FcγRIIIA binding determine disease severity

Dengue virus (DENV) infection in the presence of reactive, non-neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) (RNNIg) is the greatest risk factor for dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Progression to DHF/DSS is attributed to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE); however, because only a fraction of infections occurring in the presence of RNNIg advance to DHF/DSS, the presence of RNNIg alone cannot account for disease severity. We discovered that DHF/DSS patients respond to infection by producing IgGs with enhanced affinity for the activating Fc receptor FcγRIIIA due to afucosylated Fc glycans and IgG1 subclass. RNNIg enriched for afucosylated IgG1 triggered platelet reduction in vivo and was a significant risk factor for thrombocytopenia. Thus, therapeutics and vaccines restricting production of afucosylated, IgG1 RNNIg during infection may prevent ADE of DENV disease.

Neutralizing immune responses induced by oligomeric H5N1-hemagglutinins from plants

Plant-based transient expression is an alternative platform to produce hemagglutinin-based subunit vaccines. This production system provides not only fast and effective response in the context of a pandemic but also enables the supply of big volume vaccines at low cost. Crude plant extracts containing influenza hemagglutinin are considered to use as vaccine sources because of avoidance of related purification steps resulting in low cost production allowing veterinary applications. Highly immunogenic influenza hemagglutinins are urgently required to meet these pre-conditions. Here, we present a new and innovative way to generate functional H5 oligomers from avian flu hemagglutinin in planta by the specific interaction of S·Tag and S·Protein. A S·Tag was fused to H5 trimers and this construct was transiently co-expressed in planta with S·Protein-TPs which was multimerized by disulfide bonds via cysteine residues in tailpiece sequences (TP) of IgM antibody. Multimerized S·Protein-TPs serve as bridges/molecular docks to combine S·Tag-fused hemagglutinin trimers to form very large hemagglutinin H5 oligomers. H5 oligomers in the plant crude extract were highly active in hemagglutination resulting in high titers. Immunization of mice with two doses of plant crude extracts containing H5 oligomers after storage for 1 week at 4 °C caused strong immune responses and induced neutralizing specific humoral immune responses in mice. These results allow for the development of cheap influenza vaccines for veterinary application in future.

Glycosylation Characterization of an Influenza H5N7 Hemagglutinin Series with Engineered Glycosylation Patterns: Implications for Structure-Function Relationships

The glycosylation patterns of four recombinant H5 hemagglutinins (HAs) derived from A/Mallard/Denmark/64650/03 (H5N7) have been characterized. The proteins were expressed in (i) HEK293T cells to produce complex glycoforms, (ii) HEK293T cells treated with Vibrio cholera neuraminidase to provide asialo-complex glycoforms, (iii) HEK293S GnTI(-) cells with predominantly the canonical Man₅GlcNAc₂ glycoform, and (iv) Drosophila S2 insect cells producing primarily paucimannose glycoforms. Previously, these HAs were used to investigate the effect of different glycosylation states on the immune responses in chicken and mouse systems. Evidence was found that high-mannose glycans diminished antibody response via DC-SIGN interactions. We performed two semiquantitative analyses including MALDI-TOF MS permethylation analysis of released glycans and LC-MS^E analysis of glycosylation site microheterogeneity. Glycosylation site occupancy was also determined by LC-MS^E. Our major findings include (1) decreasing complexity of glycosylation from the stem to the globular head, (2) absence of glycosylation at N¹⁰ and N¹⁹³, (3) complex glycans at N¹⁶⁵ in HEK293T cell HA but high mannose glycans at this site in HEK293S and S2 cells, and (4) differences between the three-dimensional structures of H3 and H5 HAs that may explain glycan type preferences at selected sites. Biological implications of the findings are discussed.

Application of wide selected-ion monitoring data-independent acquisition to identify tomato fruit proteins regulated by the CUTIN DEFICIENT2 transcription factor

We describe here the use of label-free wide selected-ion monitoring data-independent acquisition (WiSIM-DIA) to identify proteins that are involved in the formation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit cuticles and that are regulated by the transcription factor CUTIN DEFICIENT2 (CD2). A spectral library consisting of 11 753 unique peptides, corresponding to 2338 tomato protein groups, was used and the DIA analysis was performed at the MS1 level utilizing narrow mass windows for extraction with Skyline 2.6 software. We identified a total of 1140 proteins, 67 of which had expression levels that differed significantly between the cd2 tomato mutant and the wild-type cultivar M82. Differentially expressed proteins including a key protein involved in cutin biosynthesis, were selected for validation by target SRM/MRM and by Western blot analysis. In addition to confirming a role for CD2 in regulating cuticle formation, the results also revealed that CD2 influences pathways associated with cell wall biology, anthocyanin biosynthesis, plant development, and responses to stress, which complements findings of earlier RNA-Seq experiments. Our results provide new insights into molecular processes and aspects of fruit biology associated with CD2 function, and demonstrate that the WiSIM-DIA is an effective quantitative approach for global protein identifications.

Challenges and opportunities of using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry methods to develop complex vaccine antigens as pharmaceutical dosage forms

Liquid chromatographic methods, combined with mass spectrometry, offer exciting and important opportunities to better characterize complex vaccine antigens including recombinant proteins, virus-like particles, inactivated viruses, polysaccharides, and protein-polysaccharide conjugates. The current abilities and limitations of these physicochemical methods to complement traditional in vitro and in vivo vaccine potency assays are explored in this review through the use of illustrative case studies. Various applications of these state-of-the art techniques are illustrated that include the analysis of influenza vaccines (inactivated whole virus and recombinant hemagglutinin), virus-like particle vaccines (human papillomavirus and hepatitis B), and polysaccharide linked to protein carrier vaccines (pneumococcal). Examples of utilizing these analytical methods to characterize vaccine antigens in the presence of adjuvants, which are often included to boost immune responses as part of the final vaccine dosage form, are also presented. Some of the challenges of using chromatographic and LC-MS as physicochemical assays to routinely test complex vaccine antigens are also discussed.

Single Mutations in the VP2 300 Loop Region of the Three-Fold Spike of the Carnivore Parvovirus Capsid Can Determine Host Range

Sylvatic carnivores, such as raccoons, have recently been recognized as important hosts in the evolution of canine parvovirus (CPV), a pandemic pathogen of domestic dogs. Although viruses from raccoons do not efficiently bind the dog transferrin receptor (TfR) or infect dog cells, a single mutation changing an aspartic acid to a glycine at capsid (VP2) position 300 in the prototype raccoon CPV allows dog cell infection. Because VP2 position 300 exhibits extensive amino acid variation among the carnivore parvoviruses, we further investigated its role in determining host range by analyzing its diversity and evolution in nature and by creating a comprehensive set of VP2 position 300 mutants in infectious clones. Notably, some position 300 residues rendered CPV noninfectious for dog, but not cat or fox, cells. Changes of adjacent residues (residues 299 and 301) were also observed often after cell culture passage in different hosts, and some of the mutations mimicked changes seen in viruses recovered from natural infections of alternative hosts, suggesting that compensatory mutations were selected to accommodate the new residue at position 300. Analysis of the TfRs of carnivore hosts used in the experimental evolution studies demonstrated that their glycosylation patterns varied, including a glycan present only on the domestic dog TfR that dictates susceptibility to parvoviruses. Overall, there were significant differences in the abilities of viruses with alternative position 300 residues to bind TfRs and infect different carnivore hosts, demonstrating that the process of infection is highly host dependent and that VP2 position 300 is a key determinant of host range.

IMPORTANCE

Although the emergence and pandemic spread of canine parvovirus (CPV) are well documented, the carnivore hosts and evolutionary pathways involved in its emergence remain enigmatic. We recently demonstrated that a region in the capsid structure of CPV, centered around VP2 position 300, varies after transfer to alternative carnivore hosts and may allow infection of previously nonsusceptible hosts in vitro. Here we show that VP2 position 300 is the most variable residue in the parvovirus capsid in nature, suggesting that it is a critical determinant in the cross-species transfer of viruses between different carnivores due to its interactions with the transferrin receptor to mediate infection. To this end, we demonstrated that there are substantial differences in receptor binding and infectivity of various VP2 position 300 mutants for different carnivore species and that single mutations in this region can influence whether a host is susceptible or refractory to virus infection.

Substitute sweeteners: diverse bacterial oligosaccharyltransferases with unique N-glycosylation site preferences

The central enzyme in the Campylobacter jejuni asparagine-linked glycosylation pathway is the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST), PglB, which transfers preassembled glycans to specific asparagine residues in target proteins. While C. jejuni PglB (CjPglB) can transfer many diverse glycan structures, the acceptor sites that it recognizes are restricted predominantly to those having a negatively charged residue in the -2 position relative to the asparagine. Here, we investigated the acceptor-site preferences for 23 homologs with natural sequence variation compared to CjPglB. Using an ectopic trans-complementation assay for CjPglB function in glycosylation-competent Escherichia coli, we demonstrated in vivo activity for 16 of the candidate OSTs. Interestingly, the OSTs from Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter upsaliensis, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, Desulfovibrio gigas, and Desulfovibrio vulgaris, exhibited significantly relaxed specificity towards the -2 position compared to CjPglB. These enzymes glycosylated minimal N-X-T motifs in multiple targets and each followed unique, as yet unknown, rules governing acceptor-site preferences. One notable example is D. gigas PglB, which was the only bacterial OST to glycosylate the Fc domain of human immunoglobulin G at its native 'QYNST' sequon. Overall, we find that a subset of bacterial OSTs follow their own rules for acceptor-site specificity, thereby expanding the glycoengineering toolbox with previously unavailable biocatalytic diversity.

Biochemical composition of haemagglutinin-based influenza virus-like particle vaccine produced by transient expression in tobacco plants

Influenza virus-like particles (VLPs) are noninfectious particles resembling the influenza virus representing a promising vaccine alternative to inactivated influenza virions as antigens. Medicago inc. has developed a plant-based VLP manufacturing platform allowing the large-scale production of GMP-grade influenza VLPs. In this article, we report on the biochemical compositions of these plant-based influenza candidate vaccines, more particularly the characterization of the N-glycan profiles of the viral haemagglutinins H1 and H5 proteins as well as the tobacco-derived lipid content and residual impurities. Mass spectrometry analyses showed that all N-glycosylation sites of the extracellular domain of the recombinant haemagglutinins carry plant-specific complex-type N-glycans having core α(1,3)-fucose, core β(1,2)-xylose epitopes and Lewis(a) extensions. Previous phases I and II clinical studies have demonstrated that no hypersensibility nor induction of IgG or IgE directed against these glycans was observed. In addition, this article showed that the plant-made influenza vaccines are highly pure VLPs preparations while detecting no protein contaminants coming either from Agrobacterium or from the enzymes used for the enzyme-assisted extraction process. In contrast, VLPs contain few host cell proteins and glucosylceramides associated with plant lipid rafts. Identification of such raft markers, together with the type of host cell impurity identified, confirmed that the mechanism of VLP formation in planta is similar to the natural process of influenza virus assembly in mammals.

N-glycosylation of cholera toxin B subunit in Nicotiana benthamiana: impacts on host stress response, production yield and vaccine potential

Plant-based transient overexpression systems enable rapid and scalable production of subunit vaccines. Previously, we have shown that cholera toxin B subunit (CTB), an oral cholera vaccine antigen, is N-glycosylated upon expression in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana. Here, we found that overexpression of aglycosylated CTB by agroinfiltration of a tobamoviral vector causes massive tissue necrosis and poor accumulation unless retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the re-introduction of N-glycosylation to its original or an alternative site significantly relieved the necrosis and provided a high CTB yield without ER retention. Quantitative gene expression analysis of PDI, BiP, bZIP60, SKP1, 26Sα proteasome and PR1a, and the detection of ubiquitinated CTB polypeptides revealed that N-glycosylation significantly relieved ER stress and hypersensitive response, and facilitated the folding/assembly of CTB. The glycosylated CTB (gCTB) was characterized for potential vaccine use. Glycan profiling revealed that gCTB contained approximately 38% plant-specific glycans. gCTB retained nanomolar affinity to GM1-ganglioside with only marginal reduction of physicochemical stability and induced an anti-cholera holotoxin antibody response comparable to native CTB in a mouse oral immunization study. These findings demonstrated gCTB's potential as an oral immunogen and point to a potential role of N-glycosylation in increasing recombinant protein yields in plants.

Advances and challenges in the development and production of effective plant-based influenza vaccines

Influenza infections continue to present a major threat to public health. Traditional modes of influenza vaccine manufacturing are failing to satisfy the global demand because of limited scalability and long production timelines. In contrast, subunit vaccines (SUVs) can be produced in heterologous expression systems in shorter times and at higher quantities. Plants are emerging as a promising platform for SUV production due to time efficiency, scalability, lack of harbored mammalian pathogens and possession of the machinery for eukaryotic post-translational protein modifications. So far, several organizations have utilized plant-based transient expression systems to produce SUVs against influenza, including vaccines based on virus-like particles. Plant-produced influenza SUV candidates have been extensively evaluated in animal models and some have shown safety and immunogenicity in clinical trials. Here, the authors review ongoing efforts and challenges to producing influenza SUV candidates in plants and discuss the likelihood of bringing these products to the market.

Plant-based vaccines against viruses

Plant-made or "biofarmed" viral vaccines are some of the earliest products of the technology of plant molecular farming, and remain some of the brightest prospects for the success of this field. Proofs of principle and of efficacy exist for many candidate viral veterinary vaccines; the use of plant-made viral antigens and of monoclonal antibodies for therapy of animal and even human viral disease is also well established. This review explores some of the more prominent recent advances in the biofarming of viral vaccines and therapies, including the recent use of ZMapp for Ebolavirus infection, and explores some possible future applications of the technology.

Engineered oligosaccharyltransferases with greatly relaxed acceptor-site specificity

The Campylobacter jejuni protein glycosylation locus (pgl) encodes machinery for asparagine-linked (N-linked) glycosylation and serves as the archetype for bacterial N-linked glycosylation. This machinery has been functionally transferred into Escherichia coli, enabling convenient mechanistic dissection of the N-linked glycosylation process in this genetically tractable host. Here we sought to identify sequence determinants in the oligosaccharyltransferase PglB that restrict its specificity to only those glycan acceptor sites containing a negatively charged residue at the -2 position relative to asparagine. This involved creation of a genetic assay, glycosylation of secreted N-linked acceptor proteins (glycoSNAP), that facilitates high-throughput screening of glycophenotypes in E. coli. Using this assay, we isolated several C. jejuni PglB variants that could glycosylate an array of noncanonical acceptor sequences, including one in a eukaryotic N-glycoprotein. These results underscore the utility of glycoSNAP for shedding light on poorly understood aspects of N-linked glycosylation and for engineering designer N-linked glycosylation biocatalysts.

Influence of elastin-like polypeptide and hydrophobin on recombinant hemagglutinin accumulations in transgenic tobacco plants

Fusion protein strategies are useful tools to enhance expression and to support the development of purification technologies. The capacity of fusion protein strategies to enhance expression was explored in tobacco leaves and seeds. C-terminal fusion of elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) to influenza hemagglutinin under the control of either the constitutive CaMV 35S or the seed-specific USP promoter resulted in increased accumulation in both leaves and seeds compared to the unfused hemagglutinin. The addition of a hydrophobin to the C-terminal end of hemagglutinin did not significantly increase the expression level. We show here that, depending on the target protein, both hydrophobin fusion and ELPylation combined with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) targeting induced protein bodies in leaves as well as in seeds. The N-glycosylation pattern indicated that KDEL sequence-mediated retention of leaf-derived hemagglutinins and hemagglutinin-hydrophobin fusions were not completely retained in the ER. In contrast, hemagglutinin-ELP from leaves contained only the oligomannose form, suggesting complete ER retention. In seeds, ER retention seems to be nearly complete for all three constructs. An easy and scalable purification method for ELPylated proteins using membrane-based inverse transition cycling could be applied to both leaf- and seed-expressed hemagglutinins.

A physicochemical investigation of membrane fouling in cold microfiltration of skim milk

The main challenge in microfiltration (MF) is membrane fouling, which leads to a significant decline in permeate flux and a change in membrane selectivity over time. This work aims to elucidate the mechanisms of membrane fouling in cold MF of skim milk by identifying and quantifying the proteins and minerals involved in external and internal membrane fouling. Microfiltration was conducted using a 1.4-μm ceramic membrane, at a temperature of 6±1°C, cross-flow velocity of 6m/s, and transmembrane pressure of 159kPa, for 90min. Internal and external foulants were extracted from a ceramic membrane both after a brief contact between the membrane and skim milk, to evaluate instantaneous adsorption of foulants, and after MF. Four foulant streams were collected: weakly attached external foulants, weakly attached internal foulants, strongly attached external foulants, and strongly attached internal foulants. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry analysis showed that all major milk proteins were present in all foulant streams. Proteins did appear to be the major cause of membrane fouling. Proteomics analysis of the foulants indicated elevated levels of serum proteins as compared with milk in the foulant fractions collected from the adsorption study. Caseins were preferentially introduced into the fouling layer during MF, when transmembrane pressure was applied, as confirmed both by proteomics and mineral analyses. The knowledge generated in this study advances the understanding of fouling mechanisms in cold MF of skim milk and can be used to identify solutions for minimizing membrane fouling and increasing the efficiency of milk MF.

Gibberellic acid-induced aleurone layers responding to heat shock or tunicamycin provide insight into the N-glycoproteome, protein secretion, and endoplasmic reticulum stress

The growing relevance of plants for the production of recombinant proteins makes understanding the secretory machinery, including the identification of glycosylation sites in secreted proteins, an important goal of plant proteomics. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) aleurone layers maintained in vitro respond to gibberellic acid by secreting an array of proteins and provide a unique system for the analysis of plant protein secretion. Perturbation of protein secretion in gibberellic acid-induced aleurone layers by two independent mechanisms, heat shock and tunicamycin treatment, demonstrated overlapping effects on both the intracellular and secreted proteomes. Proteins in a total of 22 and 178 two-dimensional gel spots changing in intensity in extracellular and intracellular fractions, respectively, were identified by mass spectrometry. Among these are proteins with key roles in protein processing and secretion, such as calreticulin, protein disulfide isomerase, proteasome subunits, and isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase. Sixteen heat shock proteins in 29 spots showed diverse responses to the treatments, with only a minority increasing in response to heat shock. The majority, all of which were small heat shock proteins, decreased in heat-shocked aleurone layers. Additionally, glycopeptide enrichment and N-glycosylation analysis identified 73 glycosylation sites in 65 aleurone layer proteins, with 53 of the glycoproteins found in extracellular fractions and 36 found in intracellular fractions. This represents major progress in characterization of the barley N-glycoproteome, since only four of these sites were previously described. Overall, these findings considerably advance knowledge of the plant protein secretion system in general and emphasize the versatility of the aleurone layer as a model system for studying plant protein secretion.

A comparative study of lectin affinity based plant N-glycoproteome profiling using tomato fruit as a model

Lectin affinity chromatography (LAC) can provide a valuable front-end enrichment strategy for the study of N-glycoproteins and has been used to characterize a broad range eukaryotic N-glycoproteomes. Moreover, studies with mammalian systems have suggested that the use of multiple lectins with different affinities can be particularly effective. A multi-lectin approach has also been reported to provide a significant benefit for the analysis of plant N-glycoproteins; however, it has yet to be determined whether certain lectins, or combinations of lectins are optimal for plant N-glycoproteome profiling; or whether specific lectins show preferential association with particular N-glycosylation sites or N-glycan structures. We describe here a comparative study of three mannose-binding lectins, concanavalin A, snowdrop lectin, and lentil lectin, to profile the N-glycoproteome of mature green stage tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit pericarp. Through coupling lectin affinity chromatography with a shotgun proteomics strategy, we identified 448 putative N-glycoproteins, whereas a parallel lectin affinity chromatography plus hydrophilic interaction chromatography analysis revealed 318 putative N-glycosylation sites on 230 N-glycoproteins, of which 100 overlapped with the shotgun analysis, as well as 17 N-glycan structures. The use of multiple lectins substantially increased N-glycoproteome coverage and although there were no discernible differences in the structures of N-glycans, or the charge, isoelectric point (pI) or hydrophobicity of the glycopeptides that differentially bound to each lectin, differences were observed in the amino acid frequency at the -1 and +1 subsites of the N-glycosylation sites. We also demonstrated an alternative and complementary in planta recombinant expression strategy, followed by affinity MS analysis, to identify the putative N-glycan structures of glycoproteins whose abundance is too low to be readily determined by a shotgun approach, and/or combined with deglycosylation for predicted deamidated sites, using a xyloglucan-specific endoglucanase inhibitor protein as an example.

A workflow for large-scale empirical identification of cell wall N-linked glycoproteins of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit by tandem mass spectrometry

Glycosylation is a common PTM of plant proteins that impacts a large number of important biological processes. Nevertheless, the impacts of differential site occupancy and the nature of specific glycoforms are obscure. Historically, characterization of glycoproteins has been difficult due to the distinct physicochemical properties of the peptidyl and glycan moieties, the variable and dynamic nature of the glycosylation process, their heterogeneous nature, and the low relative abundance of each glycoform. In this study, we explore a new pipeline developed for large-scale empirical identification of N-linked glycoproteins of tomato fruit as part of our ongoing efforts to characterize the tomato secretome. The workflow presented involves a combination of lectin affinity, tryptic digestion, ion-pairing HILIC, and precursor ion-driven data-dependent MS/MS analysis with a script to facilitate the identification and characterization of occupied N-linked glycosylation sites. A total of 212 glycoproteins were identified in this study, in which 26 glycopeptides from 24 glycoproteins were successfully characterized in just one HILIC fraction. Further precursor ion discovery-based MS/MS and deglycosylation followed by high accuracy and resolution MS analysis were used to confirm the glycosylation sites and determine site occupancy rates. The workflow reported is robust and capable of producing large amounts of empirical data involving N-linked glycosylation sites and their associated glycoforms.

Combined N-glycome and N-glycoproteome analysis of the Lotus japonicus seed globulin fraction shows conservation of protein structure and glycosylation in legumes

Legume food allergy, such as allergy toward peanuts and soybeans, is a health issue predicted to worsen as dietary advice recommends higher intake of legume-based foods. Lotus japonicus (Lotus) is an established legume plant model system for studies of symbiotic and pathogenic microbial interactions and, due to its well characterized genotype/phenotype and easily manipulated genome, may also be suitable for studies of legume food allergy. Here we present a comprehensive study of the Lotus N-glycoproteome. The global and site-specific N-glycan structures of Lotus seed globulins were analyzed using mass spectrometry-based glycomics and glycoproteomics techniques. In total, 19 N-glycan structures comprising high mannose (∼20%), pauci-mannosidic (∼40%), and complex forms (∼40%) were determined. The pauci-mannosidic and complex N-glycans contained high amounts of the typical plant determinants β-1,2-xylose and α-1,3-fucose. Two abundant Lotus seed N-glycoproteins were site-specifically profiled; a predicted lectin containing two fully occupied N-glycosylation sites carried predominantly pauci-mannosidic structures in different distributions. In contrast, Lotus convicilin storage protein 2 (LCP2) carried exclusively high mannose N-glycans similar to its homologue, Ara h 1, which is the major allergen in peanut. In silico investigation confirmed that peanut Ara h 1 and Lotus LCP2 are highly similar at the primary and higher protein structure levels. Hence, we suggest that Lotus has the potential to serve as a model system for studying the role of seed proteins and their glycosylation in food allergy.

Identification of ADP-ribosylation sites of CD38 mutants by precursor ion scanning mass spectrometry

Protein ADP-ribosylation, including mono- and poly-ADP-ribosylation, is increasingly recognized to play important roles in various biological pathways. Molecular understanding of the functions of ADP-ribosylation requires the identification of the sites of modification. Although tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is widely recognized as an effective means for determining protein modifications, identification of ADP-ribosylation sites has been challenging due to the labile and hydrophilic nature of the modification. Here we applied precursor ion scanning-triggered MS/MS analysis on a hybrid quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometer for selectively detecting ADP-ribosylated peptides and determining the auto-ADP-ribosylation sites of CD38 (cluster of differentiation 38) E226D and E226Q mutants. CD38 is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) to ADP-ribose. Here we show that NAD can covalently label CD38 E226D and E226Q mutants but not wild-type CD38. In this study, we have successfully identified the D226/Q226 and K129 residues of the two CD38 mutants being the ADP-ribosylation sites using precursor ion scanning hybrid quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry. The results offer insights about the CD38 enzymatic reaction mechanism. The precursor ion scanning method should be useful for identifying the modification sites of other ADP-ribosyltransferases such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases.

Analytical technologies for identification and characterization of the plant N-glycoproteome

N-glycosylation is one of the most common and complex post-translational modifications of eukaryotic proteins and one that has numerous roles, such as modulating protein stability, sorting, folding, enzyme activity, and ligand interactions. In plants, the functional significance of N-glycosylation is typically obscure, although it is a feature of most secreted proteins and so is potentially of considerable interest to plant cell wall biologists. While analytical pipelines have been established to characterize yeast, mammalian, and bacterial N-glycoproteomes, such large-scale approaches for the study of plant glycoproteins have yet to be reported. Indeed, the N-glycans that decorate plant and mammalian or yeast proteins are structurally distinct and so modification of existing analytical approaches are needed to tackle plant N-glycoproteomes. In this review, we summarize a range of existing technologies for large-scale N-glycoprotein analysis and highlight promising future approaches that may provide a better understanding of the plant N-glycoproteome, and therefore the cell wall proteome and other proteins associated with the secretory pathway.