One of the most important attributes of anti‐amyloid antibodies is their selective binding to oligomeric and amyloid aggregates. However, current methods of examining the binding specificities of anti‐amyloid β (Aβ) antibodies have limited ability to differentiate between complexes that form between antibodies and monomeric or oligomeric Aβ species during the dynamic Aβ aggregation process. Here, we present a high‐resolution native ion‐mobility mass spectrometry (nIM‐MS) method to investigate complexes formed between a variety of Aβ oligomers and three Aβ‐specific IgGs, namely two antibodies with relatively high conformational specificity (aducanumab and A34) and one antibody with low conformational specificity (crenezumab). We found that crenezumab primarily binds Aβ monomers, while aducanumab preferentially binds Aβ monomers and dimers and A34 preferentially binds Aβ dimers, trimers, and tetrameters. Through collision induced unfolding (CIU) analysis, our data indicate that antibody stability is increased upon Aβ binding and, surprisingly, this stabilization involves the Fc region. Together, we conclude that nIM‐MS and CIU enable the identification of Aβ antibody binding stoichiometries and provide important details regarding antibody binding mechanisms.
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Gas-phase stability and thermodynamics of ligand-bound, binary complexes of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reveal negative cooperativity
The biological role of the bacterial chloramphenicol (Chl)-resistance enzyme, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), has seen renewed interest due to the resurgent use of Chl against multi-drug-resistant microbes. This looming threat calls for more rationally designed antibiotic derivatives that have improved antimicrobial properties and reduced toxicity in humans. Herein, we utilize native ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) to investigate the gas-phase structure and thermodynamic stability of the type I variant of CAT from Escherichia coli (EcCATI) and several EcCATI:ligand-bound complexes. EcCATI readily binds multiple Chl without incurring significant changes to its gas-phase structure or stability. A non-hydrolyzable acetyl-CoA derivative (S-ethyl-CoA, S-Et-CoA) was used to kinetically trap EcCATI and Chl in a ternary, ligand-bound state (EcCATI:S-Et-CoA:Chl). Using collision-induced unfolding (CIU)-IMS-MS, we find that Chl dissociates from EcCATI:S-Et-CoA:Chl complexes at low collision energies, while S-Et-CoA remains bound to EcCATI even as protein unfolding occurs. Gas-phase binding constants further suggest that EcCATI binds S-Et-CoA more tightly than Chl. Both ligands exhibit negative cooperativity of subsequent ligand binding in their respective binary complexes. While we observe no significant change in structure or stability to EcCATI when bound to either or both ligands, we have elucidated novel gas-phase unfolding and dissociation behavior and provided a foundation for further characterization of alternative substrates and/or inhibitors of EcCATI.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2104242
- PAR ID:
- 10525052
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
- Volume:
- 415
- Issue:
- 25
- ISSN:
- 1618-2642
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 6201 to 6212
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Mass spec
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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