Production of Recombinant Protein Self-Assembly Nanocontainers in a Prokaryotic System.

We optimized a method for the preparation and purification of self-assembled protein nanocontainers EPN, the latest achievement in protein engineering. These nanocontainers are highly stable and provide the possibility of highly specific loading of a protein therapeutic drug. The described technique can be proposed as a tool for production of nanocontainers in a prokaryotic system. The obtained nanocontainers for the delivery of protein preparations can be used in the treatment of chronic, autoimmune, and oncological diseases.

Differential Diagnostics of Active Progressing Multiple Sclerosis Using a Fluorescent Biomarker with Resonance Energy Transfer.

Previous data showed that myelin-reactive autoantibodies found in patients with multiple sclerosis and mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis recognize and hydrolyze various fragments of myelin basic protein (MBP). Moreover, antibody-mediated cleavage of the encephalithogenic fragment MBP81-103 flanked with two fluorescent proteins can serve as a new biomarker of multiple sclerosis. Here we describe creation of the next generation of this biomarker based on antibody-dependent degradation of a new chemically synthesized fluorescent substrate with resonance energy transfer that contains fluorophore Cy5 and quencher QXL680 separated by MBP81-99 protein (Cy5-MBP81-99-QXL680). This substrate is degraded during incubation with purified antibodies and B cells from patients with multiple sclerosis, but not healthy volunteers.