TY - JOUR

T1 - Identification of Antibody-Mediated Hydrolysis Sites of Oligopeptides Corresponding to the SARS-CoV-2 S-Protein by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

AU - Timofeeva, Anna M

AU - Sedykh, Sergey E

AU - Dmitrenok, Pavel S

AU - Nevinsky, Georgy A

N1 - This research was maintained by the Russian Science Foundation (Project 21-75-10105 to Anna Timofeeva—all the research except for statistical analysis) and the Russian State-funded budget project of ICBFM SB RAS 0245-2021-0009 (121031300041-4) to Georgy Nevinsky— statistical analysis).

PY - 2023/9/20

Y1 - 2023/9/20

N2 - Antibodies recognizing RBD and the S-protein have been previously demonstrated to be formed in humans after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination with the Sputnik V adenovirus vaccine. These antibodies were found to be active when hydrolyzing FITC-labeled oligopeptides corresponding to linear epitopes of the S-protein. The thin-layer chromatography method allows the relative accumulation of the reaction product to be estimated but cannot identify hydrolysis sites. This study used the MALDI-TOF MS method to establish oligopeptide hydrolysis sites. Using the MALDI-TOF MS method in combination with the analysis of known hydrolysis sites characteristic of canonical proteases allowed us to establish the unique hydrolysis sites inherent only to catalytically active antibodies. We have discovered two 12-mer oligopeptides to have six hydrolysis sites equally distributed throughout the oligopeptide. The other three oligopeptides were found to have two to three closely spaced hydrolysis sites. In contrast to trypsin and chymotrypsin proteases, the catalytically active antibodies of COVID-19 patients have their peptide bond hydrolyzed mainly after proline, threonine, glycine, or serine residues. Here, we propose a new high-throughput experimental method for analyzing the proteolytic activity of natural antibodies produced in viral pathology.

AB - Antibodies recognizing RBD and the S-protein have been previously demonstrated to be formed in humans after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination with the Sputnik V adenovirus vaccine. These antibodies were found to be active when hydrolyzing FITC-labeled oligopeptides corresponding to linear epitopes of the S-protein. The thin-layer chromatography method allows the relative accumulation of the reaction product to be estimated but cannot identify hydrolysis sites. This study used the MALDI-TOF MS method to establish oligopeptide hydrolysis sites. Using the MALDI-TOF MS method in combination with the analysis of known hydrolysis sites characteristic of canonical proteases allowed us to establish the unique hydrolysis sites inherent only to catalytically active antibodies. We have discovered two 12-mer oligopeptides to have six hydrolysis sites equally distributed throughout the oligopeptide. The other three oligopeptides were found to have two to three closely spaced hydrolysis sites. In contrast to trypsin and chymotrypsin proteases, the catalytically active antibodies of COVID-19 patients have their peptide bond hydrolyzed mainly after proline, threonine, glycine, or serine residues. Here, we propose a new high-throughput experimental method for analyzing the proteolytic activity of natural antibodies produced in viral pathology.

KW - Humans

KW - Hydrolysis

KW - SARS-CoV-2

KW - Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization/methods

KW - COVID-19

KW - Antibodies

KW - Oligopeptides

KW - Peptide Hydrolases

KW - Antibodies, Viral

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85172925660&origin=inward&txGid=1f9af6bbe085c9515ba6f4cd607f9650

U2 - 10.3390/ijms241814342

DO - 10.3390/ijms241814342

M3 - Article

C2 - 37762643

VL - 24

JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences

SN - 1661-6596

IS - 18

M1 - 14342

ER -