A phase I, randomized study of combined IL-2 and therapeutic immunisation with antiretroviral therapy

Background  

Fully functional HIV-1-specific CD8 and CD4 effector T-cell responses are vital to the containment of viral activity and disease progression. These responses are lacking in HIV-1-infected patients with progressive disease. We attempted to augment fully functional HIV-1-specific CD8 and CD4 effector T-cell responses in patients with advanced chronic HIV-1 infection.     

Automated phosphoproteome analysis for cultured cancer cells by two-dimensional nanoLC-MS using a calcined titania/C18 biphasic column.

We have developed an on-line automated system for phosphoproteome analysis using titania-based phosphopeptide enrichment followed by nanoLC-MS/MS. Titania beads were prepared by calcination of commercial chromatographic titania beads at 800 degrees C to convert the crystalline structure. The obtained rutile-form titania exhibited higher selectivity in phosphopeptide enrichment than commercial titania, even in the absence of a competitive chelating reagent for non-phosphopeptides. For phosphoproteome analysis of human cervical cancer HeLa cells, tryptic digests of the cell extracts were directly injected into this on-line system, and 696 non-redundant phosphopeptides with 671 unambiguously determined phosphorylation sites, derived from 512 phosphoproteins, were successfully identified. This is the first successful application of an on-line automated phosphoproteome analysis system to complex biological samples.     

Simple on-line sample preconcentration technique for peptides based on dynamic pH junction in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

We report an on-line sample preconcentration technique based on dynamic pH junction in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS). For peptide analysis, the samples were dissolved in a solution with higher pH than the background solution (BGS), and were injected into the capillary as a long plug. The pH difference between the sample matrix and BGS caused changes in analytes' mobilities during electrophoresis, resulting in narrowing of their bands at the boundary. Around 550-1000-fold sensitivity enhancement could be achieved in terms of peak intensity without degrading peak shape and resolution. This technique is easy to perform and will be useful for peptide mass fingerprinting in protein analysis.     

Dynamic pH junction technique for on-line preconcentration of peptides in capillary electrophoresis

A method based on the presence of a dynamic pH junction within the capillary to induce band narrowing for enhanced detection sensitivity for some peptides is presented. This technique is predicated on a sharp reduction in an analyte's migration velocity following a reversal of its electrophoretic direction from the acidic sample zone to the basic BGS zone. Larger-than-usual injection volumes of samples in relatively high-conductivity matrices were enabled, without degrading peak shape, resolution and efficiency. The size of the original sample plug was reduced by as much as 38-fold, and improvement in detector response in terms of peak height by as much as 124-fold was obtained. The effects of pH and concentration of the sample matrix, and the length of sample injection on the efficiency of the technique are discussed.     

Effects of recombinant human growth hormone on HIV-1-specific T-cell responses,thymic output and proviral DNA in patients on HAART: 48-week follow-up

Background  

Efficacious immune-based therapy in treated chronic HIV-1 infection requires the induction of virus-specific CD4⁺ T cells and subsequent maturation and maintenance of specific memory CD8⁺ T cells. Concomitant daily administration of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was used in chronically infected patients with lipodystrophy in an attempt to reconstitute these virus-specific T-cell responses.     

On-line selective enrichment and ion-pair reaction for structural determination of sulfated glycopeptides by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

We describe a new capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS)-based technique for analyzing sulfated glycopeptides. The proposed method performs selective enrichment of sulfated glycopeptides from a complex mixture of peptides based on field-enhanced sample injection and ion-pair reaction with a basic ion-pair reagent (Lys-Lys-Lys; KKK) at the exit end of a capillary in a single analysis, which permits successful fragmentation of sulfated glycopeptides in positive-ion mode at the MS/MS stage for comprehensive structural analysis. In this study, the method was verified using a model sulfated monosaccharide, N-acetyl-d-galactosamine 4-sulfate (GalNAc 4S). As an example of an application of this method, sulfated glycopeptides were selectively enriched from the enzymatic digest of thyroid stimulating hormone, affording approximately 500-fold sensitivity enhancement, and structural information was successfully obtained via on-line ion-pair complexation reaction.