MD A3: Structural characterization of skin-directed autoantibodies and their interaction with the antigen to gain insights into autoimmune pre-disease
Structural characterization of proteins, including antibodies and antigens, is invaluable for understanding the relation between structural properties and biological function (and activity), allowing for design of new drug molecules and elucidation of pathophysiological mechanisms. It has been suggested that the NC16A domain of BP180, the immunodominant epitope in bullous pemphigoid, undergoes significant structural/conformational changes when anti-BP180 abs bind, potentially leading to a much better (but detrimental) exposure of the autoantigen towards the adaptive immune system in an early, rather subclinical phase of disease initiation (i.e., autoimmune pre-disease), and potentially activating intracellular signaling cascades. Likewise, little is known about structural changes induced by anti-Dsg3/1 antibodies during binding to their autoantigens Dsg3/1 in pemphigus diseases and its effects on eliciting an aberrant immune response. Importantly, in-silico modeling is not available for most of the above described monoclonal antibodies (and their protein interactions), and new crystallization data are vital for enabling such predictions. We here set out to establish efficient procedures for (i) protein crystallization of monoclonal antibodies directed against skin antigens, (ii) protein crystallization of complexes of antigen and antibody, and (iii) analysis of obtained data. All antibodies and antigens are available in recombinant form.
- Projects
- 1st Generation
- A: Defining Autoimmune Pre-Disease
- B: Targeting of Autoimmune Pre-Disease
- Associated projects
- MD projects
- Concluded Projects
- MDs
- MD A1 - Investigation of the influence of specific CDK inhibitors on neutrophil activation
- MD A2 - Conception of an anatomical expression of landscape of target antigens in autoimmune blistering dermatoses as markers for lesion formation
- MD A3 - Structural characterization of skin-directed autoantibodies and their interaction with the antigen to gain insights into autoimmune pre-disease
- MD A4 - Do interactions between AT1R autoantibodies derived from patients with systemic sclerosis and endothelial cells lead to endothelial dysfunction?
- MD A5 - Optimization and exploitation of a 3D model of human skin for translational use
- MD A6- To study vasculopathy in systemic sclerosis
- MD A7- Identification of autoantibodies contributing to the break of immunotolerance in immunization induced MMP mouse model
- MD A8- The role of AT1R antibodies and extracellular vesicles in mediating endothelial dysfunction in systemic sclerosis with pulmonary arterial hypertension
- MD A9- Impact of glycosylation on IgG4-induced signaling in neutrophils
- MD A10- Testing a new single chain variable fragment for pemphigus foliaceus in the human skin organ culture model
- MD A11- Impact of glycosylation on IgG3-induced signaling in neutrophiles
- MD A12- Screening for inhibitors to prevent keratinocytes dissoziation
- MD A13- Investigation of the local and systemic complement activation in bullous pemphigoid
- MD A14 - Impact of different subclasses on immune complex-induced signaling in neutrophils.
- MD A15 - Novel target antigens as inducers of autoimmunity of autoimmune bullous dermatoses
- MD A16 - Identification of the major epitope of the BP180 ectodomain recognized by serum IgA autoantibodies of patients with pemphigoid diseases –IgA autoantibodies as prognostic marker?
- MD A17 - Autoantibody-mediated effects on endothelial and immune cell signaling in systemic sclerosis
- MD A18 - Molecular and cellular characterization of pre-autoimmune effects induced by aging in mice
- MD B1 - Testing the effect of kinase inhibitors in the human skin organ culture model
- MD B2 - Cigarette smoking-induced autoantibodies
- MD B3 - Contribution of taurine, hypoxanthine, vitamin B5 and B6 in the pathomechanism of pemphigus vulgaris
- MD B4 - The influence of prednisolone treatment on split formation in the human skin organ culture model for pemphigus vulgaris
- MD B5 - Molecular characterization of the pre-autoimmune effects of Western diet in healthy mice
- PhDs
- Ass. projects
- Ass MDs
- MDs
- 2nd Generation
- 1st Generation