Development of a Highly Sensitive Hybrid LC/MS Assay for the Quantitative Measurement of CTLA-4 in Human T Cells.

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) is a check point protein expressed on the surface of T cells and plays a central role in regulating the immune response. In recent years, CTLA-4 has become a popular target for cancer immunotherapy in which blocking CTLA-4 can restore T-cell function and enhance the immune response against cancer. Currently, there are many CTLA-4 inhibitors in a variety of modalities, including cell therapies, which are being developed in both preclinical and clinical stages to further harness the potential of the target for the treatment of certain types of cancer. In drug discovery research, measuring the level of CTLA-4 in T cells is important for drug discovery and development because it provides key information for quantitative assessment of the pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and safety of the CTLA-4-based therapies. However, to our best knowledge, there is still no report of a sensitive, specific, accurate, and reliable assay for CTLA-4 measurement. In this work, an LC/MS-based method was developed to measure CTLA-4 in human T cells. The assay demonstrated high specificity with an LLOQ of 5 copies of CTLA-4 per cell when using 2.5 million T cells for analysis. As shown in the work, the assay was successfully used to measure CTLA-4 levels in subtype T-cell samples from individual healthy subjects. The assay could be applied in supporting the studies of CTLA-4-based cancer therapies.

Biosecurity risks posed by a large sea-going passenger vessel: challenges of terrestrial arthropod species detection and eradication.

Large sea-going passenger vessels can pose a high biosecurity risk. The risk posed by marine species is well documented, but rarely the risk posed by terrestrial arthropods. We conducted the longest running, most extensive monitoring program of terrestrial arthropods undertaken on board a passenger vessel. Surveillance was conducted over a 19-month period on a large passenger (cruise) vessel that originated in the Baltic Sea (Estonia). The vessel was used as an accommodation facility to house workers at Barrow Island (Australia) for 15 months, during which 73,061 terrestrial arthropods (222 species - four non-indigenous (NIS) to Australia) were collected and identified on board. Detection of Tribolium destructor Uytt., a high-risk NIS to Australia, triggered an eradication effort on the vessel. This effort totalled more than 13,700 human hours and included strict biosecurity protocols to ensure that this and other non-indigenous species (NIS) were not spread from the vessel to Barrow Island or mainland Australia. Our data demonstrate that despite the difficulties of biosecurity on large vessels, stringent protocols can stop NIS spreading from vessels, even where vessel-wide eradication is not possible. We highlight the difficulties associated with detecting and eradicating NIS on large vessels and provide the first detailed list of species that inhabit a vessel of this kind.

Zero-tolerance biosecurity protects high-conservation-value island nature reserve.

Barrow Island, north-west coast of Australia, is one of the world's significant conservation areas, harboring marsupials that have become extinct or threatened on mainland Australia as well as a rich diversity of plants and animals, some endemic. Access to construct a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant, Australia's largest infrastructure development, on the island was conditional on no non-indigenous species (NIS) becoming established. We developed a comprehensive biosecurity system to protect the island's biodiversity. From 2009 to 2015 more than 0.5 million passengers and 12.2 million tonnes of freight were transported to the island under the biosecurity system, requiring 1.5 million hrs of inspections. No establishments of NIS were detected. We made four observations that will assist development of biosecurity systems. Firstly, the frequency of detections of organisms corresponded best to a mixture log-normal distribution including the high number of zero inspections and extreme values involving rare incursions. Secondly, comprehensive knowledge of the island's biota allowed estimation of false positive detections (62% native species). Thirdly, detections at the border did not predict incursions on the island. Fourthly, the workforce detected more than half post-border incursions (59%). Similar approaches can and should be implemented for all areas of significant conservation value.

Tuning the activity of mitochondria-penetrating peptides for delivery or disruption.

Mitochondrially targeted agents have the capacity to be both vehicles for the delivery of bioactive agents and mitochondrial disrupters and show promise for the treatment of various diseases. Engineering these agents to specifically accumulate or disrupt the mitochondrion is challenging, as there is a fine line between characteristics of the molecules that accomplish each task. Here, we assess the physicochemical properties governing mitochondrial matrix accumulation or membrane disruption caused by mitochondria-penetrating peptides. Increases in peptide length and hydrophobicity were uncovered as the dominant factors in deriving membrane disruptive activity. Shorter, less hydrophobic peptides did not disrupt the mitochondrial membrane, but rather accumulated in the mitochondrial matrix without interfering with cellular activity. These shorter peptides, however, can trigger cytochrome c release through activation of the permeability transition pore complex (PTPC), but only at very high concentrations. This study illustrates that the activity of a mitochondria-localizing agent can be controlled through alterations in peptide hydrophobicity and dosing concentrations.

Rerouting chlorambucil to mitochondria combats drug deactivation and resistance in cancer cells.

The difficulty of accessing the mitochondrial matrix has limited the targeting of therapeutics to this organelle. Here, we report, to our knowledge, the first successful delivery of an active DNA alkylating agent--chlorambucil--to mitochondria, and describe unexpected features that result from rerouting this drug within the cell. Mitochondrial targeting of this agent dramatically potentiates its activity, and promotes apoptotic cell death in a variety of cancer cell lines and patient samples. This retention of activity is observed even in cells with resistance to chlorambucil or disabled apoptotic triggering.

Mitochondria-penetrating peptides: sequence effects and model cargo transport.

A class of mitochondria-penetrating peptides (MPPs) was studied in an effort to optimize their applications in the delivery of bioactive cargo to this therapeutically important organelle. The sequence requirements for mitochondrial entry were monitored, and it was discovered that while an alternating cationic/hydrophobic residue motif is not required, the inclusion of a stretch of adjacent cationic amino acids can impede access to the organelle. In addition, a variety of N- and C-terminal cargo were tested to determine if there are limitations to the lipophilicity, charge, or polarity of compounds that can be transported to mitochondria by MPPs. The results reported demonstrate that these peptide sequences are versatile transporters that will have a range of biological applications.

Engineered apoptosis-inducing peptides with enhanced mitochondrial localization and potency.

Apoptosis-inducing peptides that trigger mitochondrial disruption are a popular tool in pharmaceutical and anticancer research. While useful, their potencies are low, which impedes further development of drugs based on these sequences. Here, we describe an effort to engineer the intracellular localization and activity of a peptide with known anticancer activity, D-(KLAKLAK)(2), to improve potency by increasing the specificity of the peptide for mitochondria and enhancing disruption of this organelle. The engineered peptides are significantly more toxic to a wide variety of cancer cell lines, with the best analogue exhibiting a LC(50) value 100-fold lower than the parent compound. Importantly, the peptides maintain their potency when made cell-type specific.

Cell-penetrating peptides as delivery vehicles for biology and medicine.

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have found numerous applications in biology and medicine since the first synthetic cell-permeable sequence was identified two decades ago. Numerous types of drugs have been transported into cells using CPPs, including small-molecule pharmaceuticals, therapeutic proteins, and antisense oligonucleotides. Improved agents for medical imaging have been generated by conjugation with CPPs, with the appended peptides promoting cellular uptake and in some cases, cell-type specificity. Organelle-specific CPPs have also been generated, providing a means to target specific subcellular sites. This review highlights achievements in this area and illustrates the numerous examples where peptide chemistry was exploited as a means to provide new tools for biology and medicine.

Mitochondria-penetrating peptides.

Mitochondria are important targets for cancer chemotherapy and other disease treatments. Gaining access to this organelle can be difficult, as the inner membrane is a barrier limiting diffusive transport. A mitochondrial molecular carrier would be a boon to the development of organelle-specific therapeutics. Here, we report a significant advance in the development of mitochondrial transporters-synthetic cell-permeable peptides that are able to enter mitochondria. Efficient uptake of these mitochondria-penetrating peptides (MPPs) is observed in a variety of cell types, and organellar specificity is attained with sequences that possess specific chemical properties. The MPPs identified are cationic, but also lipophilic; this combination of characteristics facilitates permeation of the hydrophobic mitochondrial membrane. The examination of a panel of MPPs illustrates that mitochondrial localization can be rationally controlled and finely tuned by altering lipophilicity and charge.

Detecting art forgeries using LA-ICP-MS incorporating the in situ application of laser-based collection technology.

The nature of art lends itself to forgery as a skilled and determined forger can mimic the techniques and styles of an artist to a level where even an expert can be duped. The authentication of paintings is a subjective process, but modern techniques may provide the means to provenance artist pigments based on elemental composition. This study applies laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to the analysis of artist paints from different manufacturers to identify variation between the elemental association patterns of these materials. The technique facilitates comparison of the paints used by an artist with produced works of art to assist provenancing initiatives of questioned materials. The effects of the trace element profiles of the backing substrate and binder on analytical data were also identified. By applying the technique to paint scraped from real paintings, a limited database was created to allow comparison to be made with some of Australian artist, Kathleen O'Connor's artworks and assist in determining production chronology. Data from this study were able to facilitate comparison of blue paints from two different paintings and confirm their co-provenance consequently determining the relative production date of a separate painting of previously unknown age. Preliminary trials of a prototype collection device designed to reduce damage and allow for in situ sampling of artworks were also undertaken. The device, which allows direct laser-based sampling of a complete painting, was tested using a Francis Ryan painting. The prototype allows for the collection of debris directly generated by LA-ICP-MS of a predefined area of a painting prior to subsequent analysis using direct LA-ICP-MS. This collection method significantly minimizes the amount of damage produced by conventional sampling methods. Analyses of the debris collected, using the prototype, were found to be comparable to the scrapings of equivalent paint analysed using direct LA-ICP-MS analysis.