Monoclonal antibodies which recognise tumour-associated antigens provide a means of targeting radionuclides selectively to tumour cells. (^99m)Tc and (^64)Cu are potentially useful isotopes for radioimmunoimaging;(^ 90)Y and (^67)Cu may be suitable for radioimmunotherapy. The synthesis of functionalised macrocycles for binding these four radioisotopes to antibodies is described. In each case, a macrocycle has been selected to provide a complex which is kinetically inert, thereby preventing dissociation of the radiolabel in vivo. A novel strategy for conjugating a C-alkylated cyclam derivative (for binding Tc and Cu) to an antibody is described. This method facilitates the selective acylation of an exocyclic primary amino group in the presence of the secondary ring nitrogens. Unfortunately, the labelling of antibody-bound cyclam with (^99m)Tc required conditions (pH 11) which produced extensive binding of the radiolabel to the protein backbone. "Non-specific" (^99m) Tc was subsequently found to dissociate in vivo. Pre-labelling the macrocycle with (^99m)Tc solved the "non-specifics" problem but required a pH which meant that the conjugation step was too slow for sufficient specific activity to be bound. A phenol-pendent derivative of cyclam was found to incorporate (^99m)Tc at a lower pH than cyclam itself. The "non-specific" binding of copper to the protein was minimised using a low pH labelling strategy in conjunction with a chelate wash. Macrocycle antibody conjugates labelled manner provide very promising biodistribution profiles in normal mice. A labelling buffer was selected to enhance the rate of uptake of copper by the macrocycle at low pH. Macrocycle-antibody conjugates containing 13N(_4), which was found to provide faster association kinetics than cyclam, have been prepared and await radiolabelling studies. A derivative of I3N(_4), containing 4 carboxylic acid donor sites, has been functionalised for conjugation to an antibody to act as a (^90)Y binder.

<p>Following the completion of the human genome sequence, post-genomic efforts have shifted the focus towards the analysis of the encoded proteome. Several different systematic proteomics approaches have emerged, for instance, antibody-based proteomics initiatives, where antibodies are used to functionally explore the human proteome. One such effort is HPR (the Swedish Human Proteome Resource), where affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies are generated and subsequently used for protein expression and localization studies in normal and diseased tissues. The antibodies are directed towards protein fragments, PrESTs (Protein Epitope Signature Tags), which are selected based on criteria favourable in subsequent laboratory procedures.</p><p>This thesis describes the development of novel software (Bishop) to facilitate the selection of proper protein fragments, as well as ensuring a high-throughput processing of selected target proteins. The majority of proteins were successfully processed by this approach, however, the design strategy resulted in a number ofnfall-outs. These proteins comprised alternative splice variants, as well as proteins exhibiting high sequence similarities to other human proteins. Alternative strategies were developed for processing of these proteins. The strategy for handling of alternative splice variants included the development of additional software and was validated by comparing the immunohistochemical staining patterns obtained with antibodies generated towards the same target protein. Processing of high sequence similarity proteins was enabled by assembling human proteins into clusters according to their pairwise sequence identities. Each cluster was represented by a single PrEST located in the region of the highest sequence similarity among all cluster members, thereby representing the entire cluster. This strategy was validated by identification of all proteins within a cluster using antibodies directed to such cluster specific PrESTs using Western blot analysis. In addition, the PrEST design success rates for more than 4,000 genes were evaluated.</p><p>Several genomes other than human have been finished, currently more than 300 genomes are fully sequenced. Following the release of the tree model organism black cottonwood (<i>Populus trichocarpa</i>), a bioinformatic analysis identified unknown cellulose synthases (CesAs), and revealed a total of 18 CesA family members. These genes are thought to have arisen from several rounds of genome duplication. This number is significantly higher than previous studies performed in other plant genomes, which comprise only ten CesA family members in those genomes. Moreover, identification of corresponding orthologous ESTs belonging to the closely related hybrid aspen (<i>P</i>. <i>tremula x tremuloides</i>) for two pairs of CesAs suggest that they are actively transcribed. This indicates that a number of paralogs have preserved their functionalities following extensive genome duplication events in the tree’s evolutionary history.</p>

Following the completion of the human genome sequence, post-genomic efforts have shifted the focus towards the analysis of the encoded proteome. Several different systematic proteomics approaches have emerged, for instance, antibody-based proteomics initiatives, where antibodies are used to functionally explore the human proteome. One such effort is HPR (the Swedish Human Proteome Resource), where affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies are generated and subsequently used for protein expression and localization studies in normal and diseased tissues. The antibodies are directed towards protein fragments, PrESTs (Protein Epitope Signature Tags), which are selected based on criteria favourable in subsequent laboratory procedures. This thesis describes the development of novel software (Bishop) to facilitate the selection of proper protein fragments, as well as ensuring a high-throughput processing of selected target proteins. The majority of proteins were successfully processed by this approach, however, the design strategy resulted in a number ofnfall-outs. These proteins comprised alternative splice variants, as well as proteins exhibiting high sequence similarities to other human proteins. Alternative strategies were developed for processing of these proteins. The strategy for handling of alternative splice variants included the development of additional software and was validated by comparing the immunohistochemical staining patterns obtained with antibodies generated towards the same target protein. Processing of high sequence similarity proteins was enabled by assembling human proteins into clusters according to their pairwise sequence identities. Each cluster was represented by a single PrEST located in the region of the highest sequence similarity among all cluster members, thereby representing the entire cluster. This strategy was validated by identification of all proteins within a cluster using antibodies directed to such cluster specific PrESTs using Western blot analysis. In addition, the PrEST design success rates for more than 4,000 genes were evaluated. Several genomes other than human have been finished, currently more than 300 genomes are fully sequenced. Following the release of the tree model organism black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa), a bioinformatic analysis identified unknown cellulose synthases (CesAs), and revealed a total of 18 CesA family members. These genes are thought to have arisen from several rounds of genome duplication. This number is significantly higher than previous studies performed in other plant genomes, which comprise only ten CesA family members in those genomes. Moreover, identification of corresponding orthologous ESTs belonging to the closely related hybrid aspen (P. tremula x tremuloides) for two pairs of CesAs suggest that they are actively transcribed. This indicates that a number of paralogs have preserved their functionalities following extensive genome duplication events in the tree’s evolutionary history. / QC 20101021

Historically, terrestrial food web research has focused on describing the structure of aboveground grazing webs, and determining how interactions among plants, herbivores and higher trophic levels influence primary productivity. Detrital food webs however, play a significant role in regulation of ecosystem dynamics through direct impacts on decomposition. Unraveling the complex nature of detrital food web structure is critical to developing a better understanding of ecosystem function. Therefore the primary objective of this research was to describe the structure of the leaf-litter food web in a temperate deciduous forest, with emphasis on interactions between a community of generalist predators, the forest-floor spiders, and arthropod prey. Elucidating occurrence of trophic interactions in the forest-floor food web was a formidable task due to the high diversity, small body sizes and cryptic habits of many litter-dwelling arthropods. Analysis of natural variation in consumer stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) formed the crux of this research because it simultaneously permitted quantification of the trophic positions of litterdwelling arthropods and identification of spider resources, including prey subsidies from the grazing web. A monoclonal antibody-based ELISA was employed to analyze the gut contents of spiders to quantify predation on a major arthropod taxon, the forest-floor flies. Surveys of spider distributions and prey availability in the litter layer also provided fundamental knowledge of community structure. Stable isotope analyses suggested that most spiders exhibited strong trophic connections to the detrital web, but weak links to herbivorous prey. Several lines of evidence supported a strong trophic link between large, litterdwelling collembolans (Tomoceridae) and cursorial spiders, including correlation between spider and tomocerid densities on the forest-floor, similarities in spider and tomocerid carbon signatures, and nitrogen enrichment of tomocerids relative to other prey types. Conversely, this research provided conflicting evidence regarding spider consumption of flies. Gut content assays indicated consistent predation on flies by cursorial spiders, while stable isotope models suggested that flies are likely of little importance in the spiders’ diets. This project yielded valuable insights into the role of spiders in the forest-floor food web and the potential importance of species-specific variation in prey consumption for detrital food web dynamics.

<p>In this thesis, methods to study gene and protein expression in cells and tissues were developed and utilized in combination with protein-specific antibodies, with the overall objective to attain greater understanding of protein function.</p><p>To analyze protein expression in <i>in vitro</i> cultured cell lines, a cell microarray (CMA) was developed, facilitating antibody-based protein profiling of cell lines using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Staining patterns in cell lines were analyzed using image analysis, developed to automatically identify cells and immunohistochemical staining, providing qualitative and quantitative measurements of protein expression. Quantitative IHC data from CMAs stained with nearly 3000 antibodies was used to evaluate the adequacy of using cell lines as models for cancer tissue. We found that cell lines are homogenous with respect to protein expression profiles, and generally more alike each other, than corresponding cancer cells <i>in vivo</i>. However, we found variability between cell lines in regards to the level of retained tumor phenotypic traits, and identified cell lines with a preserved link to corresponding cancer, suggesting that some cell lines are appropriate model systems for specific tumor types. </p><p>Specific gene expression patterns were analyzed in vitiligo vulgaris and malignant melanoma. Transcriptional profiling of vitiligo melanocytes revealed dysregulation of genes involved in melanin biosynthesis and melanosome function, thus highlighting some mechanisms possibly involved in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Two new potential markers for infiltrating malignant melanoma, Syntaxin-7 and Discs large homolog 5, were identified using antibody-based protein profiling of melanoma in a tissue microarray format. Both proteins were expressed with high specificity in melanocytic lesions, and loss of Syntaxin-7 expression was associated with more high-grade malignant melanomas.</p><p>In conclusion, the combination of antibody-based proteomics and microarray technology provided valuable information of expression patterns in cells and tissues, which can be used to better understand associations between protein signatures and disease.</p>

In this thesis, methods to study gene and protein expression in cells and tissues were developed and utilized in combination with protein-specific antibodies, with the overall objective to attain greater understanding of protein function. To analyze protein expression in in vitro cultured cell lines, a cell microarray (CMA) was developed, facilitating antibody-based protein profiling of cell lines using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Staining patterns in cell lines were analyzed using image analysis, developed to automatically identify cells and immunohistochemical staining, providing qualitative and quantitative measurements of protein expression. Quantitative IHC data from CMAs stained with nearly 3000 antibodies was used to evaluate the adequacy of using cell lines as models for cancer tissue. We found that cell lines are homogenous with respect to protein expression profiles, and generally more alike each other, than corresponding cancer cells in vivo. However, we found variability between cell lines in regards to the level of retained tumor phenotypic traits, and identified cell lines with a preserved link to corresponding cancer, suggesting that some cell lines are appropriate model systems for specific tumor types. Specific gene expression patterns were analyzed in vitiligo vulgaris and malignant melanoma. Transcriptional profiling of vitiligo melanocytes revealed dysregulation of genes involved in melanin biosynthesis and melanosome function, thus highlighting some mechanisms possibly involved in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Two new potential markers for infiltrating malignant melanoma, Syntaxin-7 and Discs large homolog 5, were identified using antibody-based protein profiling of melanoma in a tissue microarray format. Both proteins were expressed with high specificity in melanocytic lesions, and loss of Syntaxin-7 expression was associated with more high-grade malignant melanomas. In conclusion, the combination of antibody-based proteomics and microarray technology provided valuable information of expression patterns in cells and tissues, which can be used to better understand associations between protein signatures and disease.

Proteins are essential building blocks in every living cell, and since the complete human genome was sequenced in 2004, researchers have attempted to map the human proteome, which is the functional representation of the genome. One such initiative is the Human Protein Atlas programme (HPA), which generates monospecific antibodies towards all human proteins and uses these for high-throughput tissue profiling on tissue microarrays (TMAs). The results are publically available at the website www.proteinatlas.org. In this thesis, TMAs were used for analysis of expression patterns in various research areas. Different search queries in the HPA were tested and evaluated, and a number of potential biomarkers were identified, e.g. proteins exclusively expressed in islets of Langerhans, but not in exocrine glandular cells or other abdominal organs close to pancreas. The identified candidates were further analyzed on TMAs with pancreatic tissues from normal and diabetic individuals, and colocalization studies with insulin and glucagon revealed that several of the investigated proteins (DGCR2, GBF1, GPR44 and SerpinB10) appeared to be beta cell specific. Moreover, a set of proteins differentially expressed in lung cancer stroma was further analyzed on a clinical lung cancer cohort in the TMA format, and one protein (CD99) was significantly associated with survival. In addition, TMAs with tissue samples from different species were generated, e.g. for mapping of influenza virus attachment in various human and avian tissues. The results showed that the gull influenza virus H16N3 attached to human respiratory tract and eye, suggesting possible transmission of the virus between gull and human. TMAs were also used for analysis of protein expression differences between humans and other primates, and two proteins (TCF3 and SATB2) proved to be significantly differentially expressed on the human lineage at both the protein level and the RNA level.   In conclusion, this thesis exemplifies the potential of the TMA technology, which can be used for analysis of expression patterns in a large variety of research fields, such as biomarker discovery, influenza virus research or further understanding of human evolution.

The Human Protein Atlas project is a Swedish research initiative that uses antibody-based proteomics for large scale protein profiling in human tissues and cells. Affinity-purified antibodies are produced within the project and used for immunohistochemical staining on tissue micro arrays (TMAs) in order to map the human proteome and publish the result in a protein atlas (www.proteinatlas.org). In this thesis, TMAs were used for analysis of protein expression patterns in order to identify and explore potential biomarkers of clinical relevance. In Paper I, protein expression of SATB2 was studied in colorectal cancer. The results show that SATB2 is a sensitive and specific biomarker for colorectal cancer, staining 85% of all investigated tumors. Moreover, SATB2 in combination with CK20 showed positivity in 97% of all colorectal carcinomas and is therefore suitable as a complementary tool in clinical differential diagnostics of cancer. In Paper II, ANLN was explored as a prognostic biomarker for breast cancer. A high nuclear fraction of ANLN in breast cancer was significantly correlated to large tumor size, high histological grade, hormone receptor negative tumors, high proliferation rate and poor prognosis. Furthermore, ANLN depletion in breast cancer cell lines resulted in cell cycle arrest and cellular senescence with altered cell morphology. In Paper III, young age at breast cancer diagnosis was investigated as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis. TMAs were produced from a selection of patients from a previously defined register-based cohort. The analysis shows that young women with luminal B tumors have a 2.2-fold higher risk of dying of breast cancer compared to older women. In Paper IV, vascular expression of CD93 was explored by image analysis of the tissue-based breast cancer cohort produced in Paper III. The analysis shows that young women with breast cancer display a significantly higher CD93-positive vessel area in their tumors. High CD93-positive vessel area was significantly associated with hormone receptor negative tumors, grade, Ki-67, EGFR and a poor prognosis. In conclusion, this thesis shows that protein expression profiling using TMAs is an important tool for identifying and exploring potential novel biomarkers for cancer.

Campylobacter spp., especially C. jejuni and C. coli, are the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Europe. There is a recognised need to develop detection tools which can be performed on farms to facilitate reducing the presence of Campylobacter in poultry. A similar application could be beneficial for detection of C. fetus, a veterinary pathogen which causes significant economic loss in the cattle industry. Campylobacter species perform protein N-linked glycosylation and in C. jejuni at least 150 proteins, many of which are surface-exposed, may be modified. Therefore, the first portion of this thesis investigated the feasibility of using N-linked glycans as targets for antibody-based detection of Campylobacter species. To do this, a His-tagged N-glycoprotein was expressed and purified from C. fetus and used as immunogen to raise an antiserum termed CfNgp. The Campylobacter N-glycan reactivity of this antiserum was characterised and it was shown to react with N-glycoproteins and cells of C. fetus and other emerging Campylobacter species such as C. concisus. Immunoblotting techniques and flow cytometry were used to characterise an antiserum (CjNgp) raised against a C. jejuni N-linked glycoprotein and demonstrated that it can specifically detect cells of C. jejuni, C. coli and other emerging Campylobacter species found in poulty. This thesis also describes the investigation of the relatively uncharacterised C. fetus N-linked glycosylation system. Functional analysis of C. fetus predicted glycosyltransferases was acheived by developing glycocompetent E. coli containing a hybrid C. jejuni/C. fetus pgl system. The N-glycan structures biosynthesised were analysed using mass spectrometry and this novel approach discovered the activity of two C. fetus glycosyltransferase enzymes. Finally, this work used a bioinformatics pipeline to produce a C. fetus predicted N-linked glycoproteome and experimentally verified a newly identified N-linked glycoprotein. This pipeline was also applied to investigate the putative conservation of N-linked glycoproteins throughout the Campylobacter genus and highlighted ‘core’ N-linked glycoproteins which are key targets for experimental investigation. Overall, this work demonstrates that Campylobacter N-linked glycans are attractive targets for antibody-based detection, expands our knowledge of C. fetus N-linked glycosylation and contributes to the broader understanding of this intriguing aspect of Campylobacter biology.

Sequencing technologies and applications have pushed the limits and enabled novel studies of biological mechanisms, evolutionary relationships and communication networks between cells. The technical developments leading to single cell RNA-sequencing have enabled detection of rare cell populations while spatial resolution added insights into larger biological environments, like tissues and organs. Massively parallel sequencing has paved the way for integrated high-throughput analyses including that of studying gene expression, protein expression and mapping of microbial communities. This thesis starts with an introduction describing the technical and biological advancements made in recent years with focus on spatially resolved approaches. Then, a summary of recent accomplishments is presented, which enabled ongoing work in a novel field of spatial hostmicrobiome profiling. Lastly, the concluding remarks include both a future perspective and a short reflection on the current developments in the spatial multi-omics field. 16S sequencing is often used for taxonomic classification of bacteria. In Paper I, this sequencing technique was used to study the aerodigestive microbiome in pediatric lung transplant recipients. Many of these patients regretfully reject the organ after transplant, but the underlying cause is, in many cases, unknown. In this paper, multiple factors influencing rejection were examined including that of the aerodigestive microbiome. Pediatric lung transplant recipients often suffer from gastrointestinal dysmotility and the focus of this study was also to analyze changes in the microbiome in relation to irregular gastric muscle movements. The results showed that lung transplant recipients had, in general, lower microbial diversity in the gastric fluid and throat and also that the microbial overlap between lung and gastric sampling sites was significantly less in transplant recipients compared to controls. In addition, gastrointestinal dysmotility was shown to influence the gastric microbiome in lung transplant recipients, but, given the small sample size available in this study, the correlation to patient outcome could not be examined. Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and the antibody-based proteome in the same tissue section was enabled using the method developed in Paper II. Spatial Multi- Omics (SM-Omics) uses a barcoded glass array to capture mRNA and antibody-based expression of selected proteins in the same section. The antibody-based profiling of the tissue section was enabled by either immunofluorescence or DNA-barcoded antibodies that were then decoded by sequencing. The protocol was scaled-up using an automated liquidhandling system. Using this method, simultaneous profiling of the transcriptome and multiplexed protein values was determined in both the mouse brain cortex and mouse spleen. Results showed a high correlation in spatial pattern between gene expression and antibody measurements, independently of the antibody labelling technique. SM-Omics generates a high-plex multi-omics characterization of the tissue in a high throughput manner while exhibiting low technical variation. / Tekniker och applikationer som använder sekvensering har flyttat fram gränsernaoch tillåtit nya undersökningar av biologiska mekanismer, evolutionära släktskap ochkommunikationsnätverk mellan celler. De tekniska utvecklingarna som har lett fram tillRNA-sekvensering av enskilda celler har möjliggjort upptäckten av sällsynta cellpopulationer medan den rumsliga upplösningen har inneburit en ökad förståelse av störrebiologiska miljöer, såsom vävnader och organ. Massively parallel sequencing har banat vägför integrerade analyser med hög kapacitet, vilket inkluderar analys av genuttryck,proteinuttryck och kartläggning av bakteriella samhällen. Den här avhandlingen börjar meden introduktion som beskriver tekniska och biologiska framsteg som gjorts de senaste åren,med fokus på den rumsliga upplösningen. Sedan följer en summering av de senasteprestationerna som har möjliggjort det pågående arbetet i ett nytt fält som avhandlarrumslig profilering av bakterien och dess värd. Slutligen innehåller slutordet både ettframtida perspektiv samt en kort reflektion av den nuvarande utvecklingen inom fälten förrumslig mång-omik. 16S-sekvensering används ofta för att taxonomiskt klassificera bakterier. Dennasekvenseringsteknik användes i artikel I för att studera mikrobiomet i luft- ochmatspjälkningskanalen hos barn med transplanterad lunga. Dessvärre är det vanligt medavstötning av lungan efter transplantationen hos många av dessa patienter, men denunderliggande orsaken till avstötningen är, i många fall, okänd. I denna studie undersöktesflertalet faktorer, inklusive mikrobiomet i luft- och matspjälkningskanalen, som kan tänkaspåverka bortstötningen. Barn med transplanterad lunga lider ofta av störningar i magtarmkanalens rörelser och artikelns fokus var därmed även att analysera förändringar imikrobiomet i relation till dessa avvikande rörelser i mag-tarmkanalen. Resultatet visade attpatienter med transplanterad lunga generellt hade lägre bakteriell mångfald i magsaft ochhals, samt att det bakteriella överlappet mellan lunga och magsaft var signifikant mindre ipatienter med transplanterad lunga jämfört med kontrollerna. För övrigt visade det sig attstörningar i mag-tarmkanalens rörelser påverkade magsaftens mikrobiom hos patientermed transplanterad lunga, men på grund av studiens storlek på urvalet, kunde det inteundersökas hur detta korrelerade till utfallet hos patienterna. Integrerad analys av transkriptomet och antikroppsbaserad analys av proteomet isamma vävnadssnitt har möjliggjorts genom metoden som utvecklats i artikel II. SpatialMulti-Omics (SM-Omics) använder ett avkodningsbart mönster av korta DNA-segment påen glasyta för att fånga mRNA och antikroppsbaserat uttryck av utvalda proteiner frånsamma vävnadssnitt. Den antikroppsbaserade profileringen av vävnadssnittet uppnåddesgenom antingen immunofluorescens eller antikroppar märkta med DNA-segment somkunde avkodas genom sekvensering. Protokollet skalades upp genom ett automatiseratsystem för att behandla vätskor. Genom användning av denna metod kunde simultanprofilering av transkriptomet och flertalet proteiner uppnås i både hjärnbarken och mjältenhos en mus. Resultaten visade en hög korrelation i det rumsliga mönstret mellangenuttrycket och de antikroppsbaserade mätningarna, oberoende av hur antikropparnahade märkts. SM-Omics genererar en storskalig karaktärisering av vävnaden av flera omikermed hög kapacitet samtidigt som den har låg teknisk variation. / <p>QC 2021-02-02</p>